The Power and Duality of Prayer

A Lectio Divina on Lord Maitreya’s 'Prayer Is a Two-Edged Sword'

Dear Friends, I’m excited to share that I’ve created a new Lectio Divina Workbook based on a message by Lord Maitreya and its accompanying Scripture. Its title is “The Power and Duality of Prayer - A Lectio Divina on Lord Maitreya’s 'Prayer Is a Two-Edged Sword'“

As my prior one which was only the first of my Lectio Divina workbooks, it is designed for those who wish to deepen their Bible study within the framework of the Ascended Masters' teachings as a transformative spiritual practice.

I am loving creating these, I learn so much and believe they can help so many of us. They include a message from one of the Ascended Masters, beautiful images and sections for meditation, contemplation, prayer and journaling prompts.

They can be printed and filled out and are a beautiful practice, for both individuals and groups. I suggest you read online, either using your laptop or mobile, then print out the last section, the ACTIO which has the journaling prompts.

This one is based in Lord Maitreya’s message called 'Prayer Is a Two-Edged Sword'. The message includes quotes from the books of Isaiah, Hebrews, Luke, Matthew, Galatians, John, and Mark in the Bible.

In the Lectio Divina process, those quotes from the Bible serve as anchors for reflection, prayer, and spiritual action. Each scripture is integrated into the stages of the practice to deepen the connection to the message of Lord Maitreya and to help guide participants in their spiritual journey.

Here are the powerful biblical quotes from Lord Maitreya’s message, "Prayer Is a Two-Edged Sword," that we will be working with, and that reveal the transformative power of prayer when it is aligned with divine will.

• "Without faith it is impossible to please God."

  • In matters of initiation only the few in each age are able to receive the best gifts conferred by The Brotherhood; only the few actually make contact with our realm. The very thought that we do not exist, as long as it is held, has a tendency to annihilate our influence in the world of the individual who holds it. As it was said of old, without faith it is impossible to please God. The consecration of one’s personal faith to cooperation with the heavenly hosts, as an activity of communing with the saints, is an initiatic step that raises the disciple ever higher in the bestowal of the grace of God. And his life is beatified in many ways as he integrates his consciousness with the true culture of the Spirit which unfolds from the divine seed germinating within his being.

• "Before they call, I will answer."

  • It is not enough for men and women to simply ask in prayer; they must learn to act as though they had already received. Remembering the promise of the Lord “Before they call, I will answer,” they must learn that the alchemy of self-transformation can produce in their lives, through the childlike attitude of expectancy, the manifestation of the Spirit of cosmic unity. For to expect an answer from God is part of the ancient system of Alchemy, the practice of which would greatly benefit modern man.

• "Not my will, but Thine be done."

  • Wrong prayers—the invocation of that which is undesirable for oneself or others—may take the form of witchcraft or black magic. To ask God for wisdom, so beautifully phrased in the prayer of the Master Jesus “Not my will, but Thine be done,” is not a fatalistic attitude; for there are more choices in the will of God than man is aware of. Out of the reservoir of God’s supreme knowledge and by His guidance, man is able to select those noble ideas which fulfill the desire of both man and God and bring forth a uniform concept—a concept of you and I (u-n-i meaning you and God).

• "While one with God is a majority, the individual must not usurp his authority by invoking that which may grieve another part of Life."

  • While one with God is a majority, the individual must not usurp his authority by invoking that which may grieve another part of Life. That union of spiritual consecration between God and man which always produces the answers to prayer correctly and speedily cannot fail to take into account the universal harmony of the brotherhood of man. What benefits one must ultimately benefit all, for the divine plan for one must necessarily include the divine plan for all.

• "More things are wrought by prayer—the prayer of absolute faith in the goodness of the will of God—than this world dreams of."

  • The simple, childlike faith we confer upon you now is an offering of great value, and this you can appreciate if you will review the mistakes of those who do not possess it. As it has been said, more things are wrought by prayer—the prayer of absolute faith in the goodness of the will of God—than this world dreams of.

• "Prayer is a two-edged sword."

  • Now I would make known to you the operation of certain laws which may at first seem strange. Because man has free will and somewhat to say concerning the manifestation in his world, through prayer he can invoke both good and evil; for prayer is a two-edged sword. Therefore, unless it be a conscious blending with the will of God and the desire for individual fulfillment in divine destiny, it may become, through impure motivation and a subconscious willing, the means to implement the plans of men rather than the plan of God. This often comes about through the misuse of free will, when men fail to begin and end their communiqués with the Deity with the words of Jesus “Not my will, but Thine be done.”

• "Not my will, but Thine be done." (Repeated)

  • This often comes about through the misuse of free will, when men fail to begin and end their communiqués with the Deity with the words of Jesus “Not my will, but Thine be done.”

• "Ye must be born again."

  • It is wise that men should be unafraid to be reborn. When the Master said to Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again,” it was a statement of universal healing. For in man’s daily rebirths into the higher way, the heart and mind are illumined, and the pages of the days record, step by step, that hopeful emergence into Light which removes the sting of death and darkness.