Preparing for peace
There is a sense of expectancy in the air when nations strive for more stable relationships. We see ambassadors circulating between countries and negotiations on all levels of government. Attempts are made to understand the character of the leaders and predict their actions. Hotels are busy, journalists on the go. In spite of the effort to hold down expectations, the hopes of the world are aroused. The prospect of international cooperation is tantalizing. Shall we just stand aside and watch the show, convinced we are too insignificant to affect the results one way or another? We may not have personal power to influence world affairs, but God does. Can we motivate God by prayer? No. But prayer helps us to see God's laws at work. It enables us to discern the reality of creation, transcending appearances, in which all are one family in God's likeness, and God governs us all in perpetual harmony. The Bible asks: ``Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?'' 1
Jesus told us to shine as lights in the world. An experience I had one time in the Swiss Alps may help to illustrate how our spiritual light can help. Our train was stranded for half an hour inside a tunnel. The darkness was total. The conductor, groping his way down the aisle, told us help was on the way. Suddenly I remembered that at the last minute before leaving home I had tucked a small flashlight into my purse. Finding this, I turned it on and held it over my head. The tiny bulb broke the intensity of the gloom, and everyone could see dimly around him. Tension was eased. Someone made a joke, and everyone broke into laughter. Soon people were chattering and sharing snacks in spite of language barriers. Then the problem was solved and we moved on again.
The little flashlight had not fixed the transformer, but it had contributed to the easing of fear and tension. It had created an environment in which problems could be solved more easily.
Our individual Christian prayer, springing from a perception of God's supremacy as the one Mind governing all, is a powerful force for good in the world. With its acknowledgment of our universal family under one Father, it adds significantly to the light created by good will everywhere. But reflecting in prayer the Love that is God is more than expressing human affection; it is bringing to bear on events the eternal law of God, which is totally good. Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of this newspaper and the Discoverer of Christian Science, tells us in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, ``Science reveals only one Mind, and this one shining by its own light and governing the universe, including man, in perfect harmony.'' 2
We do have reason not only for hope but for expectancy. When our expectancy includes the acknowledgment of God's presence and activity, then faith has become the harbinger of victory. We do not pray for one point of view or system to triumph over another but for the qualities derived from God to govern us all. Patience, good will, justice, kindness, modesty, spiritual courage, generosity--when these qualities predominate in our own lives, the light this generates will help us recognize these qualities in others, wherever they may live. We cannot put a lid on Godlikeness. It is inherent in everyone's true being. When expressed it results in cooperation and peace.
We are able to contribute to this harmony as we draw our thought away from mesmeric contemplation of the human scene--not ignoring it but stepping back and seeing the impersonal nature of the conflict. Christian Science is equipping us to recognize the ultimate powerlessness of evil and the actual allness of divine good. Honoring God as the only power by expressing His qualities in our lives is an act of true worship. It involves not only hope but spiritual conviction. From this point of view we expect healing, since our faith sees the government of the one Father already established and continuously operating.
The ``healing of the nations'' is a vast concept, but we can comprehend it. And since it is possible for every heart to comprehend that concept, it is possible to achieve it. Instinctively we know this. And that's why this sense of expectancy is legitimate. It is reality coming to light--the kingdom of heaven urging its claims on humanity. 1 Malachi 2:10. 2 Science and Health, pp. 510-511.
