God’s peerless power

To me, one of the most encouraging statements in the Christian Science textbook, Mary Baker Eddy’s “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” is this: “The central fact of the Bible is the superiority of spiritual over physical power” (p. 131).

Events in Jesus’ career certainly illustrate this idea. Time after time the power of his Father-Mother, God, was present and operating to overcome violence, sickness, and sin among the many he encountered.

It’s not hard to think of Jesus being associated with such power, given his extraordinary record of healing. But what about the rest of us? Can we expect to feel connected in daily life with something as wonderful as the power of God, divine Spirit?

Christian Science teaches that the answer is undoubtedly yes. Science and Health says of Jesus, “The highest earthly representative of God, speaking of human ability to reflect divine power, prophetically said to his disciples, speaking not for their day only but for all time: ‘He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also;’ and ‘These signs shall follow them that believe’” (p. 52).

You could describe the power of divine Spirit as being like an umbrella that covers God’s creation constantly. We each, as the entirely spiritual offspring of God, are beneficiaries of “the superiority of spiritual over physical power.” And this power is available every moment, in every single place we go. This gives us a scientific basis for praying. As we make space in our thoughts to feel the authority of God, our perspective naturally changes. Since the power of God, good, is behind this change of thought, what we experience changes for the better, too.

So many different biblical characters’ lives illustrate this. Consider the young shepherd David. When he faced the strong warrior Goliath, he was confronting what appeared to be the threat of mortality. Extreme physical power looked like it was set to rule the day. So many people expected it to! Yet, in the end, the shepherd stood triumphant, and later became a king.

As we move forward in life, we can prove the force and presence of spiritual power. The central fact in every situation is that the goodness and omnipotence of divine Spirit are present always to gently protect and guide us. It feels so good, in a very sacred, joyful way, to watch in daily life for “the superiority of spiritual over physical power” and witness the blessings that follow.

As God’s reflection, we are each the proof every day that God, divine Spirit, is omnipotent and All-in-all. The Science of Christianity enables us to see this. Of this Science that she discovered, Mrs. Eddy explains, “It hath no peer, no competitor, for it dwelleth in Him besides whom ‘there is none other’” (“Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 22).

No doubt, the Goliaths that you and I face look different from the giant that David conquered. They may feel just as threatening to us, though. Injustice, illness, lack, and violence are some of today’s Goliaths, yet the good news is that they have to succumb to the superiority of God.

Once, after a college football game, I joined the crowd as it ran onto the field in celebration. A fight broke out and looked like it was going to spread to include a number of people, including me.

I remember standing perfectly still as I stopped to acknowledge the presence of the absolute power of God. God doesn’t send anger and doesn’t allow for it in His spiritual creation. As I prayed, the violence and threats stopped as quickly as they started. I felt very grateful as we all walked on peacefully.

The prophet Isaiah recorded God saying, “I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me” (Isaiah 45:5). This statement governs us today just as it did those living many hundreds of years ago. We can feel the power in that verse as we read it.

People may unjustly strike out at us, illness may appear puffed up and intimidating, lack may look as if it were an endless chasm, yet God is here. When feeling pressed by the weight of these Goliaths, remember that the same loving and peerless power that was there with David and later with Jesus is here for us today, quelling fears and moving us forward boldly in God’s holy purpose.