Neville Goddard Word Study: Prayer

Executive Summary

Prayer is presented not as supplication but as the “master key” to solving all earthly problems. It is a learnable technique and a secret for changing the future. This art of believing involves consciously entering a desired state and assuming the feeling of the wish fulfilled. Rather than asking an external power, the individual is the source of the prayer's power and the one who grants it by successfully impressing the subconscious mind.

Key Concepts

• Prayer is the secret to changing the future and the master key to all earthly problems.
• The essential condition for an answered prayer is to believe you have already received your desire.
• It is a technique for entering the subconscious, often in a state “akin to sleep,” to make impressions.
• Successful prayer requires feeling yourself into the reality of the answered prayer until it feels natural.
• Persistence, described as “brazen impudence” or “importunity,” is crucial; you must not take “no” for an answer in your own mind.

Detailed Explanation

In these teachings, prayer is defined as the art of believing and the definitive technique for consciously creating desired change. It is not a plea to an outside force but an internal, disciplined practice. The Bible stories are seen as dramatizations of this technique, revealing a key by which a person can enter a larger reality to alter the conditions of their current world. The individual who prays is identified as the “spring of action” and the one who ultimately grants the prayer.

The mechanism of prayer is its function as a gateway into the subconscious mind, similar to sleep. The process involves inducing a relaxed state akin to sleep, where the conscious and subconscious are creatively joined. In this state, one makes an impression upon the subconscious by feeling the reality of the wish already fulfilled. This act of rising to a higher level of consciousness through assumption reshapes one's world in harmony with that new level. He who rises from prayer a better man—meaning, one who has successfully shifted his consciousness—has had his prayer answered.

The core condition for success is faith, specifically the belief that you have already received what you ask for. You must feel yourself right into the situation of the answered prayer, accepting it as true and allowing that state to feel normal and natural. A common failure is to construct a desired state in imagination but then defer its occupancy. Instead, one must think from the state, as though it were an accomplished fact. This leads to a natural state of thanksgiving, affirming that you have already been heard.

Finally, the teachings stress the importance of persistence. The secret of prayer is to continue in the assumption of the wish fulfilled and never lose heart. This is described as “brazen impudence” or “importunity”—an unwavering mental insistence that refuses to accept any evidence to the contrary. By continually assuming you have what you desire, that assumption eventually solidifies into objective fact.

Important Quotes

It is in sleep and in prayer, a state akin to sleep, that man enters the subconscious to make his impressions and receive his instructions.

— Feeling Is The Secret

“Whatsoever you desire, when you pray, believe that you have received it, and you will.”

— The Creative Use Of Imagination

The word importunity means brazen impudence. In other words, he would not take No for an answer!

— Brazen Impudence

Related Concepts

• Law of Assumption: Prayer is the direct application of this law. You must assume you already have what you want until that assumption hardens into fact.
• States: The goal of prayer is to enter a specific state of consciousness—the state of the wish fulfilled—and take upon yourself the results of that state.
• Imagination: The Bible is described as containing dramatizations of the technique of prayer, which is fundamentally about the power of imagination.
• Feeling: Feeling is the means by which a prayer is made effective. You must feel yourself into the situation of the answered prayer to impress the subconscious.
• Consciousness: An answered prayer is the result of being lifted up in consciousness to a level where the desire is natural. Your world then reshapes itself to match this new level.

Common Misunderstandings

• Prayer is not begging. The source material explicitly states that man is the one who grants the prayer, not an external deity that must be persuaded.
• Prayer is not about future hope. The key is to believe you have already received your desire in the present moment. A major error is to build a desired state but then “defer occupancy,” keeping it in the future.

Practical Applications

To apply this teaching, a student should:

• Induce a state akin to sleep, where the physical body is immobilized.
• Enter into the imaginative action of the wish fulfilled.
• Feel the reality of the answered prayer until it feels completely natural.
• Persist in this assumption with “brazen impudence,” refusing to accept any inner argument or outer evidence to the contrary.
• Cultivate a state of thanksgiving, acknowledging that the desire is already an accomplished fact.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the secret to effective prayer according to this material?

The secret is persistence. You must pray and never lose heart, mastering the art of assuming your wish is fulfilled until it becomes your reality.

How does prayer work?

Prayer works by impressing the subconscious mind. By entering a state akin to sleep, you can creatively join the conscious and subconscious and impress upon it the feeling of your wish already being a fact.

Am I asking an external God for help when I pray?

No. According to these passages, man is the 'spring of action, the directing mind, and the one who grants the prayer.'