A great defense

Putting on the mental armor of Godlike thoughts doesn’t just bring us confidence in precarious situations – it reveals to us God’s palpable, ever-present protection.

Christian Science Perspective audio edition
Loading the player...

What should we rely on for protection?

In biblical days, some people came to rely on a higher, surer, stronger power than great walls to ensure safety from enemies and the elements: God. Describing such trust in God, the psalmist wrote, “He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved” (Psalms 62:6).

Later on, in encouraging us to find our strength and power in God, the Apostle Paul likened certain qualities of thought to pieces of body armor. He urged the Ephesians to “put on the whole armour of God.... having on the breastplate of righteousness ... taking the shield of faith.... And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:11, 14, 16, 17).

Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, similarly wrote, “Good thoughts are an impervious armor; clad therewith you are completely shielded from the attacks of error of every sort. And not only yourselves are safe, but all whom your thoughts rest upon are thereby benefited” (“The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany,” p. 210). Consciously holding righteousness, faith, and salvation in our thought confidently places our trust and reliance on God. We can know Him as ever present and all-powerful, watching over us every second, and nothing can penetrate the divine armor He provides.

God’s protecting power was distinctly demonstrated to me in a life-threatening experience some years ago. I was in the far-right lane of a four-lane highway, traveling 60 miles per hour, with the cab of a large semitruck on my left. Suddenly, a car from the far-left lane veered in front of the truck, and the semi moved into my lane, its huge front wheel grinding into my door.

At that moment, I had time for one thought only – that God is my protection against all forms of harm, that His allness provides an impenetrable defense. As His beloved spiritual offspring, I could never for an instant be separated from His love and care. In the fleeting seconds of that experience, I felt His protecting hand on me.

The front of the truck slammed into the rear of the car that had cut in front, spinning the car off the road to the right. The truck then flipped on its side away from me and slid several hundred feet. I struggled to regain control of my car and ended up sideways across the highway. All the cars behind us were able to come to a stop without broadsiding my car, despite the 60-mph speed limit.

God’s protection was so all-encompassing that no driver was seriously hurt, and my car actually remained drivable! The state trooper looked at the large round tire marks on my door (mere inches from where I had been sitting) and said it was a miracle that no one was seriously injured.

What was it that meant so much to me in that moment of need? It was a sense that God’s power was a palpable and irresistible force present right at that moment. A sense that God lovingly wraps each one of us in His great love and care. A sense that God’s power and presence conquer the dangers that seem to confront us.

We can maintain a strong defense against anything ungodlike by learning about our inseparable oneness with God and mentally affirming the spiritual facts of being throughout each day. We are never truly outside of God’s protection, vulnerable to physical or mental harm. And His defense is perfect, impregnable against all forms of evil.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to A great defense
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/A-Christian-Science-Perspective/2023/0719/A-great-defense
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe