Hi,
I'm Teresa Hubbard.
Welcome back to our continued reading of the text to A Course in Miracles.
We continue today in Chapter 9,
The Acceptance of the Atonement.
Section 2,
The Answer to Prayer.
To summarize my takeaways,
In Section 2 of Chapter 9,
We are told that all of us have experienced what appears to be failure when we have used prayer to ask for something.
Yet we are reminded that the purpose of this course is the escape from fear,
And that no response to prayer will ever be given to us that will increase fear.
We learn here that all prayer is answered,
Yet it is possible that the answer will not be heard,
But we are assured that these answers are waiting for us and will never be lost.
Jesus lovingly tells us that if we are to know God and His answers,
That we must believe in Him,
Whose faith in us is unshakable.
He further tells us that as sons of God,
We must look for the truth in our brothers.
This is not going beyond ourself,
But toward ourself,
And by doing so,
We are seeking the truth in ourself.
We further learn that the message we receive from our brother is up to us,
Because our decision about them determines the message we receive.
Although our brother may not know who he is,
There is a light in his mind that does know.
This light shines into ours,
Giving truth to our brother's words and making us able to hear them.
Is our faith in our brothers strong enough to let us hear?
We are asked to believe in God by believing in our brother,
Who will answer truly as we learn to ask only truth of them.
We are told to never forget that we set the value on what we receive and price it by what we give.
We are cautioned that if paying is equated with getting,
We will set the price low but demand a high return.
Yet if paying is associated with giving,
It cannot be perceived as loss,
And the reciprocal relationship of giving and receiving is recognized.
Therefore,
We must set the price high because of the value of the return.
By giving we receive,
But to receive is to accept,
Not to get.
We can ask of the Holy Spirit then only by giving to Him,
And we can only give to Him where we recognize Him.
If we recognize Him in everyone,
Imagine how much we will be asking of Him and how much we will receive.
We must then say to everyone,
Because I will to know myself,
I see you as God's Son and my brother.
I invite you to keep a few things in mind as you listen to the reading.
The Course uses male pronouns,
Yet this is simply a way of pointing to the spiritual being having no gender.
The Course is written in first person,
And although not introduced directly to the reader,
It becomes clear that the words are from Jesus,
Often quoting from the Bible.
The Course uses traditional Christian terms in a non-traditional manner.
These words are simply pointers to truth,
Nothing more.
A few terms you will hear within this reading.
Holy Spirit,
The communication link between God and us bridging the gap between the mind of Christ and our human minds,
The voice for God.
God,
The Creator,
The source of all being,
Or life.
God's essence is Spirit,
Which is shared with all creation.
Yet the word God can be limiting,
Since universal energy and life are infinitely vast and cannot be contained in a word.
Salvation is salvation.
We are saved from our belief in sin and guilt through the change of mind that forgiveness and the miracle bring about.
And now,
On to the reading.
A Course in Miracles Chapter 9,
The Acceptance of the Atonement.
Section 2,
The Answer to Prayer.
Anyone who ever tried to use prayer to ask for something has experienced what appears to be failure.
This is not only true in connection with specific things that might be harmful,
But also in connection with requests that are strictly in line with this Course.
The latter,
In particular,
Might be incorrectly interpreted as proof that the Course does not mean what it says.
You must remember,
However,
That the Course states,
And repeatedly,
That its purpose is the escape from fear.
Let us suppose,
Then,
That what you ask of the Holy Spirit is what you really want,
But you are still afraid of it.
Should this be the case,
Your attainment of it would no longer be what you want.
This is why certain specific forms of healing are not achieved,
Even when the state of healing is.
An individual may ask for physical healing because he is fearful of bodily harm.
At the same time,
If he were healed physically,
The threat to his thought system might be considerably more fearful to him than its physical expression.
In this case,
He is not really asking for release from fear,
But for the removal of a symptom that he himself selected.
This request is therefore not for healing at all.
The Bible emphasizes that all prayer is answered,
And this is indeed true.
The very fact that the Holy Spirit has been asked for anything will ensure a response.
Yet it is equally certain that no response given by Him will ever be one that would increase fear.
It is possible that His answer will not be heard.
It is impossible,
However,
That it will be lost.
There are many answers you have already received but have not yet heard.
I assure you that they are waiting for you.
If you would know your prayers are answered,
Never doubt a Son of God.
Do not question Him and do not confound Him,
For your faith in Him is your faith in yourself.
If you would know God and His answer,
Believe in Me,
Whose faith in you cannot be shaken.
Can you ask of the Holy Spirit truly and doubt your brother?
Believe your brother's words are true because of the truth that is in him.
You will unite with the truth in your brother,
And his words will be true.
As you hear your brother,
You will hear Me.
Listening to truth is the only way you can hear it now and finally know it.
The message your brother gives you is up to you.
What does he say to you?
What would you have him say?
Your decision about your brother determines the message you receive.
Remember that the Holy Spirit is in your brother,
And the Holy Spirit's voice speaks to you through your brother.
What can so wholly a brother tell you except truth?
But are you listening to it?
Your brother may not know who he is,
But there is a light in his mind that does know.
This light can shine into yours,
Giving truth to his words and making you able to hear them.
Your brother's words are the Holy Spirit's answer to you.
Is your faith in your brother strong enough to let you hear?
You can no more pray for yourself alone than you can find joy for yourself alone.
Prayer is the restatement of inclusion directed by the Holy Spirit under the laws of God.
Salvation is of your brother.
The Holy Spirit extends from your mind to his and answers you.
You cannot hear the voice for God in yourself alone because you are not alone.
And the Holy Spirit's answer is only for what you are.
You will not know the trust I have in you unless you extend it.
You will not trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit or believe that it is for you unless you hear it in others.
It must be for your brother because it is for you.
Would God have created a voice for you alone?
Could you hear his answer except as he answers all of God's sons?
Hear of your brother what you would have me hear of you,
For you would not want me to be deceived.
I love you for the truth in you as God does.
Your deceptions may deceive you,
But they cannot deceive me.
Knowing what you are,
I cannot doubt you.
I hear only the Holy Spirit in you who speaks to me through you.
If you would hear me hear my brothers in whom God's voice speaks,
The answer to all prayers lies in them.
You will be answered as you hear the answer in everyone.
Do not listen to anything else or you will not hear truly.
Believe in your brothers because I believe in you and you will learn that my belief in you is justified.
Believe in me by believing in them for the sake of what God gave them.
They will answer you if you learn to ask only truth of them.
Do not ask for blessings without blessing them,
For only in this way can you learn how blessed you are.
By following this way,
You are seeking the truth in you.
This is not going beyond yourself but toward yourself.
Hear only God's answer in his sons and you are answered.
To disbelieve is to side against or to attack.
To believe is to accept and to side with.
To believe is not to be credulous but to accept and appreciate.
What you do not believe,
You do not appreciate and you cannot be grateful for what you do not value.
There is a price you will pay for judgment because judgment is the setting of a price and as you set it,
You will pay it.
If paying is equated with getting,
You will set the price low but demand a high return.
You will have forgotten,
However,
That to price is to value so that your return is in proportion to your judgment of worth.
If paying is associated with giving,
It cannot be perceived as loss and the reciprocal relationship of giving and receiving will be recognized.
The price will then be set high because of the value of the return.
The price for getting is to lose sight of value,
Making it inevitable that you will not value what you receive.
Valueing it little,
You will not appreciate it and you will not want it.
Never forget then that you set the value on what you receive and price it by what you give.
To believe that it is possible to get much for little is to believe that you can bargain with God.
God's laws are always fair and perfectly consistent.
By giving,
You receive,
But to receive is to accept,
Not to get.
It is impossible not to have,
But it is possible not to know you have.
The recognition of having is the willingness for giving and only by this willingness can you recognize what you have.
What you give is therefore the value you put on what you have,
Being the exact measure of the value you put upon it,
And this in turn is the measure of how much you want it.
You can ask of the Holy Spirit then only by giving to Him and you can give to Him only where you recognize Him.
If you recognize Him in everyone,
Consider how much you will be asking of Him and how much you will receive.
He will deny you nothing because you have denied Him nothing and so you can share everything.
This is the way and the only way to have His answer because His answer is all you can ask for and want.
Say then to everyone,
Because I will to know myself,
I see you as God's Son and my brother.
