new church life: september/october 2016
reply, instruct and effect. A person does not otherwise accept anything Divine.”
(Ibid.)
What follows is how it is explained to us in Apocalypse Revealed:
Now, because John saw those who were arrayed in white robes, and desired to know
and ask who they were, and because this was perceived in heaven, he was therefore
first asked about them, and afterward informed.
The case was similar with the prophet Zechariah when he saw the many
representations displayed before him, as can be seen in the first chapter of
Zechariah (1:9, 19, 21, 4:2, 5, 11, 12, 5:2, 6, 10, 6:4).
Moreover in the Word we frequently read that the Lord answers when
people call on Him or cry out to Him (as in Psalms 4:1, 17:6, 20:9, 34:4, 91:15,
120:1), and that He gives to people when they ask (Matthew 7:7, 8, 21:22, John
14:13, 14, 15:7, 16:23-27). Yet, even so, it is the Lord who gives people to ask
and what they should ask for, and the Lord knows it, therefore, beforehand.
But still it is the Lord’s will that a person first ask, in order that the person may
do so as though on his own, and that the petition may thus be assigned to him.
Otherwise, if the petition itself did not emanate from the Lord, it would not
have been said in those passages that people would receive whatever they ask.
(Apocalypse Revealed 376, emphasis added)
Yes, prayer, to use the definition we began with from Heavenly Secrets, is
“talking with God.” It is a conversation with Him from the depth of our heart
about what we need. As the passage in Heavenly Secrets goes on to explain:
Prayer regarded in itself is talking with God; and at the same time some inner view
of the things being prayed for. In answer to this there is a similar inflow into the
perception or thought of the person’s mind, which effects a certain opening of his
inward region towards God. The experience varies according to the person’s state
and according to the essence of what he is praying for. If his prayer springs from
love and faith and if they are entirely heavenly and spiritual things about which and
for which he prays, something like a revelation is present within his prayer which
manifests itself in the affection of the person praying in the form of hope, comfort,
or some inward joy. (Arcana Coelestia 2535)
Our Lord Himself, we are told, had such revelations when He prayed, for
we read:
“It happened, when Jesus was baptized and prayed, that heaven was opened.” (Luke
3:21)
“It happened, when Jesus took Peter, James and John, He went up on the mountain
to pray. When He was praying the appearance of His face was altered, and His
clothing became dazzling white.” (Luke 9:28, 29)
Also in John, after Jesus when praying said, “Father, glorify Your name”:
“A voice came from heaven, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again’.” (John
12:27, 28)
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