Having obtained this clear-sightedness as to the suppliant's situation, we now have the conditions which enable us in our prayer to begin adjusting ourselves to as to be in contact with God's will. This situation can only manifest itself in the following ways: we either pray for "favours", which from a cosmic viewpoint is the same as praying for favouritism, praying to be one of His "chosen few", or to be in the good graces of this omnipotent being, and our prayer will absolutely never be "granted", or we are completely in accordance with the divine will and live accordingly from dawn to dusk in an eternal "fulfilment of prayers". The fundamental structure and the principle basis of prayer demand that no prayer intended to bring about the satisfaction of a desire to be specially favoured by the Godhead can ever be "granted" or fulfilled, just as every prayer which is solely intended to bring about the satisfaction of the desire that in every instance the divine will be done concerning one's own self can only be fully "granted" or fulfilled. To the extent that the suppliant is not in contact with this, his prayer will be something which is in disharmony with the divine will and remain ungranted. Otherwise the most primitive wishes or will of the son of God or the suppliant would come true and the Godhead's highly intellectual, universal, love-promoting will would have to stop, and the universe, and with it life itself, would be on the highroad to ruin.
      Of what use then is the great and eternal principle of prayer? When the person who prays for the satisfaction of purely selfish desires, because this satisfaction seems to him (her) to be the "one thing needful" or desirable happiness, does not have his prayer granted, of what use is this person's prayer? As "granting of prayers" can take place only in cases where the prayer expresses the desire that God's will be done, the prayer is not necessary, because this will is in all circumstances the winning end-result in any situation; therefore the suppliant's desire is granted. What is there then to pray for?
      Is it not true that prayer here appears to be completely superfluous? No, on the contrary. Here prayer begins to appear in its true, divine form as that which is its final mission, namely as a "living daily conversation or correspondance with the Godhead." Here it reveals that what we have known about its nature up till now was nothing but its embryonic stage, its initial zone. As long as prayer is released as a selfish desire it is still identical with the "animals"'s cry of terror in the jungle although in terrestrial Man it is released in "civilized phrases". The relationship between the suppliant and the Godhead is in reality the same as the relationship between the tiny baby in its cradle and its mother. The tiny baby does not know any other way of appealing to the mother than "screaming" and "crying" whenever something unpleasant happens to it. This "unpleasant something" is usually something vital and natural, such as hunger, need for being changed etc. Here it is a "warning", a cry, a prayer to the mother who is the child's guardian angel in its still helpless situation. Such a cry or such a "prayer" to the mother or others who might be in the place of the mother cannot be included under the concept of "selfishness". On the contrary: the cry is the only means by which the baby can be in contact with the divine will, which means its own vital care and maintenance. Without screaming, crying or wailing it could not beg for assistance from those beings who are essential for the continuation of its physical life.
      Normally such prayer is therefore "granted". But when the child has grown, when he can begin to think, understand or speak on the physical plane, he may have desires or wishes which are not vital ones – they may even be directly harmful to his fellow beings. Such thoughts and desires are selfish and thus they are not expressive of the divine will. This divine will appears through a healthy upbringing which brings about a fight against granting these wishes, no matter how much the child may cry, whimper and wail because its "prayers are not granted". It is just the same as regards the relationship between the son of God and God. All desires that are vital or natural necessities, such as hunger, thirst etc., without which daily life could not possibly be preserved, are not selfish and they are therefore directly in contact with the divine will. It is all right to include these in one's prayer if some inconveniences or obstacles have arisen as regards their satisfaction. But all the desires that are not vital and which can be satisfied only on the basis of more or less destroying the life and health of one's fellow beings are "selfish" and are thus not in contact with the divine will. To include these in one's prayer is the same as appealing for a "granting of prayer" which the Godhead's "upbringing" or the divine world-order is inclined to oppose.
      Just as in the individual's intercourse with its mother or its parents many desires which the parents cannot satisfy may appear, so terrestrial Man's relationship or prayerful intercourse with the Godhead may involve many "prayers" or desires which Providence cannot grant. It is true that it may be difficult for ordinary man to distinguish between false desires and true or natural ones. But here Providence by means of world-redemption, has reached out a helping hand and has given to mankind the "Lord's Prayer". This prayer which I am going to describe here, is a cosmic prayer and it is completely in contact with the things which the divine will wants done as regards the attitude of the son of God himself, life and the Godhead.