Praying when there’s conflict

Between each bit of news about war, is there room to think? To pray? It’s always important to keep up to date on the news, yet we also need to take time to step back from the jarring details. I’ve found that, in order to rise above the cycles of dismal reports of doom that may run through my head, I need to be still and pray. Prayer isn’t something to hide behind; prayer lifts my thought beyond what I see physically and brings to light the goodness and allness of God.

So lately, I’ve carved out time to consider the simple fact that God is good and, as Jesus proved in his life and healings, God is always completely good. As explained in Mary Baker Eddy’s textbook on the Christ-healing practiced by Jesus, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” “In the Saxon and twenty other tongues good is the term for God. The Scriptures declare all that He made to be good, like Himself, – good in Principle and in idea. Therefore the spiritual universe is good, and reflects God as He is” (p. 286).

As I study more about the nature of God, I am emboldened to learn how God’s spiritual universe is the one and only universe. In the final analysis, since we live in a universe of God, we live in a universe of good, in which we, too, are spiritual and good, despite how things may appear. In contrast with today’s cacophony of discouragement and violence, this is such heartening news.

Recognizing this opens our eyes to God’s presence as tangible. No matter what we are facing, God is with us, guiding both what we think and what we experience.

As a child, I remember being bullied and beaten one day by an older student. But I found that what I’d been learning in my Christian Science Sunday School class – and what I had put into practice outside of it – kicked in. Rather than feeling afraid or angry, my whole heart overflowed with a palpable awareness of God’s love – both for myself and the other student. Later, this individual looked right into my eyes and apologized, and I found that I didn’t even need to forgive him – I already had.

To stop, be still, and behold the fact that God is always present and solely good shows us the harmony that’s really going on. As we go forward into each day, we all actually remain within the ever-present realm of divine Love, which isn’t just semi-powerful; Love is omnipotent, all-powerful. We can pray to see how, in full authority, Love rules every scene, every moment, everyone. God’s goodness is actually measureless – it never comes to a conclusion.

Even before we commence praying, God’s goodness is infinite and ever present. At a time when violence was prevalent, an individual in the Bible prayed with joy, “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalms 107:8). It’s helpful to pause and praise God in that way.

God deeply loves the goodness He sees reflected in each of us as His spiritual offspring. In fact, God says this about His children: “They shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon [God’s] land” (Zechariah 9:16). From God’s perspective, each of us, in our reflected, divine perfection, is like a jewel in a crown.

Just consider that! God truly loves us beyond measure. And God’s love and goodness correct whatever doesn’t align with this true view of ourselves and others, and they guide us.

We are basking in God’s love, being strengthened in it, being steered by it, being kept whole as a result of it. Jesus proved this when a violent mob attempted to kill him: “But he passing through the midst of them went his way” (Luke 4:30).

Despite reports coming across our screens about the delicate state of world unity, prayer reveals that, in God’s love, all we possess is goodness that comes from God. Our very existence not only depends on, but is made to represent, God’s love.

It matters for the world that we know deeply and solidly that God, divine Love, and God’s creation are good – and good only. The way to move forward is to be consistently conscious of God’s presence and love, here and now. As we pray in this way, we can be comforted to know that our quiet efforts are contributing greatly to the healing of conflict around the world.

Interested in reading inspiration shared by some of the countless individuals praying about the Israel-Hamas war? Check out “How I’m praying about the Israel-Hamas war...” on sentinel.christianscience.com.