{"id":11779,"date":"2016-05-01T20:57:13","date_gmt":"2016-05-02T00:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordstudy.newchurch.org\/?page_id=11779"},"modified":"2016-05-01T20:57:13","modified_gmt":"2016-05-02T00:57:13","slug":"pray-as-a-bible-term","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/societies.newchurch.org\/wordstudy\/bible-keywords\/pray-as-a-bible-term\/","title":{"rendered":"Pray (as a Bible Term)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/b>Swedenborg<\/a> says that when people pray in the Bible<\/a>, it means they are opening up their internal<\/a> states<\/a>. When it is the Lord<\/a> praying, or a figure who represents the Lord, that opening up reveals the Lord\u2019s inmost love and intention, and means that hidden things will be revealed. When others pray the meaning is less exalted, representing worshipping<\/a> God from a love of other people<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Passages from Swedenborg<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2535<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. ‘He will\u00a0pray\u00a0for you’ means that it will thus be revealed. This is clear from the meaning of ‘praying’. Regarded in itselfprayer\u00a0is talking to God and at the same time some inner view of the things that are being\u00a0prayed\u00a0for. Answering to this there is something akin to an influx into the perception or thought of the person’s mind, which effects a certain opening of his internals towards God. But the experience varies according to the person’s state and according to the essence of whatever he is\u00a0praying\u00a0for. If his\u00a0prayer\u00a0springs from love and faith, and if they are wholly celestial and spiritual things about which and for which he\u00a0prays, something like a revelation is present within his\u00a0prayer\u00a0which manifests itself in the affection of the one\u00a0praying\u00a0in the form of hope, comfort, or some inward joy. This is why ‘praying’ in the internal sense means to be revealed. Here such a meaning is all the greater since it is a prophet who, it is said, will\u00a0pray, and ‘prophet’ is used to mean the Lord, whose\u00a0prayer\u00a0was nothing else than an internal speaking to the Divine, and at the same time revelation. That there was revelation when He\u00a0prayed\u00a0is evident in Luke,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>It happened, when Jesus was baptized and\u00a0prayed, that heaven was opened. Luke 3:21.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>In the same gospel,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0It happened, when Jesus took Peter, James, and John, He went up on the mountain to\u00a0pray. When He was\u00a0praying\u00a0the appearance of His face was altered, and His clothing became dazzling white. Luke 9:28, 29.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Also in John, He said when\u00a0praying,<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Father, glorify Your name. Then a voice came from heaven, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. John 12:27, 28.<\/span>
    \n<\/span>
    \n<\/span>\u00a0Here it is evident that the Lord’s\u00a0praying\u00a0consisted in a talking to the Divine and at the same time in revelation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2580<\/b><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. ‘Abraham\u00a0prayed\u00a0to God’ means a revelation. This is clear from the meaning of ‘preying’ when it has reference to the Lord, as a revelation being given, dealt with in 2535, and from the representation of ‘Abraham’ as the Lord, dealt with many times. In the sense of the letter two are portrayed – one who\u00a0prayed, and another to whom he\u00a0prayed, for it is said that ‘Abraham\u00a0prayed\u00a0to God’.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Apocalypse Explained (Tansley) n. 325<\/b><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Which are the\u00a0prayers\u00a0of the saints. That this signifies, from which is worship, appears from the signification of the\u00a0prayers\u00a0of the saints, as denoting worship from spiritual good. By\u00a0prayers, in the internal sense, are meant all things of worship; and by the saints, spiritual things; for in the Word they are called saints who are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, and just, they who are in His celestial kingdom (as may be seen above, n. 204). But in the internal sense of the Word by saints are not meant saints, but things holy, for saints involve persons, and in the internal sense everything connected with personality is put off, for things alone constitute it (concerning which see above, n. 270); and that the angels, because they are spiritual, think abstractedly from persons, see also above, n. 99, 100. In this the internal sense of the Word is distinguished from its external sense, which is the sense of the letter; and because by saints are thus meant things holy, and by holy in the Word is meant the Divine truth, which proceeds from the Lord, and makes His spiritual kingdom (as may be seen above, n. 204); therefore by things holy are meant spiritual things, and by the\u00a0prayers\u00a0of the saints, worship from spiritual good. That worship from this good is meant by theprayers\u00a0of the saints, appears from this fact, that it is said they had golden vials full of incense, which are the\u00a0prayers\u00a0of the saints; and by incense are signified all things of worship which are from spiritual good (as was shown in the article just preceding); whence it follows, that the same is signified by theprayers\u00a0of the saints.<\/span>
        \n<\/span>
        \n<\/span>[2] As also in David:<\/span>
        \n<\/span>
        \n<\/span>“Give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. Let my\u00a0prayersbe accepted before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the meat-offering of the evening; guard the door of my lips; let not mine heart decline to evil, to do wicked deeds in impiety with the men who work iniquity; for hitherto my\u00a0prayers[are] in their evils” (Ps. cxli. 1-5).<\/span>
        \n<\/span>
        \n<\/span>Here also\u00a0prayers\u00a0are called incense, and the lifting up of the hands is called a meat-offering; and this, because the same is signified by\u00a0prayers\u00a0as by incense, and the same by the lifting up of the hands as by a meat-offering. By incense is signified spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbour; and by meat-offering is signified celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord; thus by both worship is signified. And because\u00a0prayers\u00a0proceed not from the mouth, but from the heart by the mouth, and all worship which is from the heart is from the good of love and charity, for the heart signifies that, therefore it is also said, guard the door of my lips; let not mine heart decline to evil, to do wicked deeds in impiety. And because David is lamenting that evils hitherto have power against him, therefore he says, for hitherto my\u00a0prayers\u00a0are in their evils.<\/span>
        \n<\/span>
        \n<\/span>[3] That\u00a0prayers\u00a0signify the same as incense, also appears elsewhere in the Apocalypse:<\/span>
        \n<\/span>
        \n<\/span>\u00a0“Another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, together with the\u00a0prayers\u00a0of all the saints, upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense together with the\u00a0prayers\u00a0of saints, ascended up to the sight of God” (viii. 3, 4).<\/span>
        \n<\/span>
        \n<\/span>\u00a0Because similar things are here signified by\u00a0prayers\u00a0as by incense, namely, worship from spiritual good, therefore it is said there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the\u00a0prayers\u00a0of the saints; also that the smoke of the incense ascended together with the\u00a0prayers\u00a0of the saints, to the sight of God. What is meant by worship from spiritual good shall first be explained, and afterwards that\u00a0prayers\u00a0signify such worship. Worship does not consist in\u00a0prayers\u00a0and in external devotion, but in a life of charity;\u00a0prayers\u00a0are only the externals thereof, for they proceed from the man by his mouth, therefore, according to the quality of the man as to his life, such are his\u00a0prayers. It does not matter that a man bears himself humbly, that he kneels and sighs when he\u00a0prays; these are external things, and unless the externals proceed from internals, they are only postures and sounds without life. In everything that a man gives utterance to there is affection, and every man, spirit, and angel is his own affection, for their affection is their life; it is the affection itself that speaks, and not the man without it; therefore, such as is the affection, such is the\u00a0prayer. Spiritual affection is what is called charity towards the neighbour; to be in that affection is truly worship;prayer\u00a0is the proceeding therefrom. Hence it is evident that the essential of worship is a life of charity, and the instrumental of it is posture and\u00a0prayer; or, that the primary of worship is a life of charity, and its secondary is\u00a0praying; from which it is evident that those who place all Divine worship in oral piety, and not in real piety, err greatly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Apocalypse Revealed (Rogers) n. 278<\/b><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Which are the\u00a0prayers\u00a0of the saints. This symbolizes thoughts that are matters of faith springing from affections that are matters of charity in people who worship the Lord in accord with spiritual goods and truths.<\/span>
          \n<\/span>Prayers\u00a0mean matters having to do with faith in people who pour forth\u00a0prayers, and at the same time matters having do to with charity, since without these,\u00a0prayers\u00a0are not\u00a0prayers\u00a0but empty sounds.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

           <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Swedenborg says that when people pray in the Bible, it means they are opening up their internal states. When it is the Lord praying, or a figure who represents the Lord, that opening up reveals the Lord\u2019s inmost love and intention, and means that hidden things will be revealed. When others pray the meaning is […]<\/p>\n

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