Traditional, petitionary prayer keeps the structure our humanity and our need as we turn to God (or the Source) with a sense of separation. In petitionary prayer we recognize that God is the greater and we are dependent on Divine Grace and Love. Prayer then is highly relational. It is a communication and sharing of our lives with The Other, The Supreme Being. Affirmative prayer on the other hand, begins at the point of Union with God, not separation. It views life as the ongoing expression of God's creative activity in the world, and in particular, human consciousness as a vehicle of Divine creative manifestation. The focus of affirmative prayer is bringing forth Divine Good in the individual's mind, body and external affairs by affirming It and accepting It in consciousness. This begins with identification with God, in the spirit of "inseparable Oneness". We in a sense, still recognize the Transcendent vastness of God beyond the individual, but the individual remains inseparable from the Whole. So rather than asking in prayer, we affirm in prayer. And grow into acceptance.
Most of us pray in different ways at different times. We need and can adapt to different ways of seeing our "relationship" to the sacred and the Oneness of life. In this time of Pandemic, we especially need adaptability, even in our prayer life. Although we know that psychologically being positive is generally more productive than an atmosphere of doom and gloom, affirmative prayer is more than just thinking positive thoughts. We need to digest all the events of the current Pandemic, our knowledge, experience and opinions of reputable experts, in order to forge a plan as we move through the remainder of the year. There is value in affirming the Good and a positive vision for our future that is rooted in Oneness. The key to Affirmative prayer is Oneness. If we leave anyone out of our vision and our prayer, we no longer stand on spiritual ground.
For James Dillet Freeman's blending of prayer levels in the poem "I Am There", follow the link: http://meilach.com/spiritual/Poems_Freeman/iamthere.htm