BD.8738
January 28, 1964

WHAT MANNER OF PRAYER SHALL BE HEARD?

I am available whenever you call upon Me. Every fervent, pleading thought gets through to Me; I hear every sound the heart utters and I always turn toward you, because the voice of the child breaks through and shall always reach the Father's ear. Then I am always prepared to help when you need it or I provide you with spiritual power when you ask for it.

I lean towards you and let you present your request, because I rejoice in making My creatures happy - give My children what they need and demand of Me. A call to Me in spirit and in truth shall never go unheeded and unheard; every fervent prayer to Me shall bring you blessing and you shall mature in soul.

But your call must not be a mere prayer with the lips. It is this very pre-condition which so often is lacking, because men have been taught prayer, which can never penetrate My ear. They pray often in unison and mumble words they learned, which never express the feelings of the heart but are and remain empty words, which had better remain unspoken. A fervent prayer has to rise from the heart and be the result of an inner union with Me, so that the child then speaks with Me as with its Father.

And even when it only stammers and does not avail it of well-formulated words, I shall yet understand this stammering as a child's love-call to its Father, and shall hearken and respond. The prayer to Me is a bridge you can step upon any time, but this way is little used because prayer has become a mere formality, a talking away with words whose meaning is not thought through and which usually impedes deep devotion - an intimate thought for Me.

Then man robs himself of an immense grace because he does not utilise the power of prayer, since no power can flow his way if he does not find the inner connection with Me, which however has no need of many words but a heart fully open to Me. The door of your heart during prayer should be wide open, so that I Myself may enter and fill you with light and grace. And hence your thoughts should be with Me in all love - the heart must be completely free of all other thoughts; and then you must hold silent dialogue with Me and entrust Me with all your cares and wishes. Or, if you do not come to Me with worries, you must assure Me of your love, and for this verily you do not need organisational prayer, no mass-operation, no mass-prayer, unless a special concern causes several people to make a communal call to Me for help. But this is to happen in stillness and inwardly, because every external emanation disturbs the inner connection and man cannot then so concentrate as to completely feel My presence.

I have to constantly re-emphasise that with your usual prayer you shall not get far with Me, because I regards only what the heart feels but not what the mouth speaks, regardless of how many people take part in such prayer. This shall be always an abomination to Me because it only proves to Me how little store you place by conversing with your Father from eternity, and because you also hope for help through such prayers, which however you shall never obtain; and you only doubt God's love and power anew when you feel no help.

And yet you can achieve much through silent, earnest prayer that rises from the heart, because I shall never fail to hear such but am joyful of it and always ready to respond, and show you a Father Whose love and power wants to make you happy. Such inner dedication to Me you can prove in no better way than through a quiet dialogue held with Me through your heart, because this you cannot perform thoughtlessly as a mere formality.

And then every word you direct to Me shall sound child-like and trusting; the relationship of a child with its Father shall of a Truth be established and the child shall achieve everything, because the love of the Father does not deny itself and seeks constantly to make the child happy. But as long as men believe themselves capable of moving Me to help through formal prayers they shall register little success and hence time and again doubt a God Who in His love always is ready to help and also can do so due to His power.

But this faith is a prerequisite for My pouring out My abundance of grace over all men, and such faith also demands a living union with me which only love will enter upon and a loving person achieves everything with me.

AMEN