Considering the increasing number of terrorist attacks on unsuspecting civilians in public places around the world, our collective prayers are needed more than ever to stop this insidious evil and maintain peace and safety for one and all.
Security forces will take appropriate action in the nations and communities they serve, but guns and surveillance cameras can only go so far to check crime and protect citizens. The deeper need is for more love in the hearts and minds of people around the world that leads to the elimination of the hatred, self-righteousness, ignorance of God, and evil-will that spawns terrorism. And the first place to begin is with our own thinking.
I find powerful instruction and profound comfort in the 91st Psalm. I pray the truths in this Psalm, not only for my own protection, but for all would-be terrorists, to see them also in the Secret Place of the Most High where there is no desire to harm their neighbor. I pray to see that Truth delivers their thinking from evil temptation, from hate, from anger, from ignorance. That God give His angels charge over their thinking to keep them from being mesmerized by evil intent. That “no evil can befall them,” to take over their thinking and cause them to be anything less than a loving, caring child of God.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
Very well said Evan, Only love can destroy hatred…But the world in general does not agree to this… During the terrorist attack in Mumbai some years back… the perpetrator was hated by all… The day of the death sentence was approaching… In Science we are taught to love and pray for all and see everyone as God sees them… pure and perfect… When I expressed some concern and care for this person, my senior at office got very upset…”Are you siding with a terrorist. Do you realize how many innocent people he shot?” Only if everyone was loving and all saw the innate goodness of each and everyone, then nobody on earth would be a terrorist…
I remember having read an article in the sentinel…where all the villagers ran helter-skelter to escape from a terrorist who had come to their village, except a small girl who remained unmoved and untouched by fear. She looked up to him straight in the face, with a lot of love and compassion. This had such a healing effect, that there was an immediate transformation in the terrorist. Later on, this person brought a lot of happiness and goodness to others. He became a new person.. That’s the effect of love.
In her book Science and Health, Mrs.Eddy says :”Divine Life destroys death, Truth destroys error, and Love destroys hate.”
Yes as mentioned in today’s post by Evan, we need to love more and pray sincerely to eliminate terrorist attacks. “The deeper need is for more love in the hearts and minds of people around the world that leads to the elimination of the hatred, self-righteousness,”
What a noble thought shared by Evan …to pray with the 91st Psalm not only for our protection but the protection of the terrorist also, from wrong desires of hatred, anger, revenge, and asking God’s angels to give charge over their thinking so as to remove evil intentions and enable them to be loving, kind and good. Great… Thanks so much for inspiring us and showing us the right path.
Thank you Nergish for your interesting and inspiring comment.
It is right, that you sometimes must pray in secret, because if you say something to non-christian scientists, they do not understand your point of view. But God is with us to do aright.
Thank you, Evan, so timely special for us in Hamburg. You know that on 7th + 8th July the G20 agenda with the most important politicians will take place in Hamburg. And several terrorist-groups have announced their coming to intervene. So all Hamburg CS churches are already praying for a peaceful event.
But Evan is right, we have to pray for the whole world, that Gods absolutely unfailing Love is governing each and every child of Himself. And I also find it very very helpful and suitable to pray with the 91st Psalm. I am so grateful that God gave us the Science of the Christ, which MBE named Christian Science – it blesses us a l l 🙂
“The “still, small voice”
of scientific thought reaches over continent and ocean
to the globe’s remotest bound.
It is heard in the desert and in dark places of fear.”
(Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy)
Thanks, Grace, its in the lesson this week, and yes it is very helpful and farreaching 🙂
Thank you, Evan, for this important post. And Uta, I will join you in praying for protection in Hamburg. “Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you.” Would-be terrorists are equally clad in the panoply of Love, protecting them from committing acts of hate. All is well.
Thanks a lot Kathleen! 🙂
When Muhammed turned from Mecca to Medina, he essentially turned away from spirit to matter for his solutions. Sadly, there is no solution that starts with matter and end in spirit. All real solutions have to start with spirit for all is in the omniscience of divine Mind which is ever present and all powerful. I look at terror as a material solution that has lost sight of the real path to solution. It is in short a political process meant to gain its own territory but loses the spiritual understanding that all presence belongs to omnipresence of a one Spirit. It is essentially blind to truth to the principle of divine love. I look to Elisha’s solution when the King of Syria wanted to capture him in Dothan but they were blinded, watered, feed and sent home to their king. We have much work to do, each one of us needs to demonstrate a real solution through prayer and right reasoning to see that the real solution is in Spiritual and not material and to know that those who choose peace and love will be rewarded with such and those who are blinded to that principle can be lead to it, divine love. I will not be fooled by the lesser path as a sufficient solution to the greater path of divine love. I will not bend to hatred as a sufficient political solution. I can only listen to that still small voice whose eternal principle of truth is only real solution which is revealed through divine love. Any other path is pure folly.
Thank You, divine and infinite (and the Only) Mind of man, therefore ALL.
I am feeling a great need to yield “my” little sense of things
to Your Power and Presence, Your government, Your love…
To surrender limited belief about what IS
to the profound and divine Facts as given to mankind
by the Comforter, divine Science.
I lift up “my” thought and being to the Light of truth,
acknowledging Your infinite power to adjust all that seems
not in accord with Your creation.
amen
If each one of us were to start our day with this particular reading I am sure we could enlighten the world. So many great thoughts and prayers are right here. I have often prayed daily that there be no more war,
That all earth’s people recognize and love the one God their father and love their neighbor as themselves.
In my morning readings, this verse from the Bible stood out as tying in with this topic. It assures us that not one is left out of God’s love.
“And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known. I will make darkness into light before them and make uneven places into a plain. These things I have determined to do [for them]; and I will not leave them forsaken.” (Isaiah 42: 16, Amplified Bible Classic Edition)
Thank you, Evan, for this important message. I have traveled throughout the world and wherever my travels take me, I feel the presence of our Father-Mother Love and Mind with me; this presence assures me of my commitment to represent God wherever I am. I can testify to the protecting and transforming influence of such loyalty as I have been many times in terrorist or potentially terrorist situations and have only had a tinge of fear once. As a youth, I found myself having to walk through a scary neighborhood in Detroit, the kind of situation that can put you heart up near your throat, but I prayed earnestly along the way and made it safely; I later found out that this neighborhood was considered so dangerous that few strangers survived unscathed and nighttime visitors rarely escaped with their lives. At another time, God revealed certain information to me which I reported to local senior government authorities; a major communist guerrilla attack was prevented as a result and I remained good friends with the families of the would-be attackers. Etc.
The dark heart of America and western powers
needs the most healing
The dreamers are seemingly
about to make things
very uncomfortable.
War is fear
War is a belief in lack
For thousands of years
our species has believed
If we want or need something
we have a right to
take it by theft
or force…..
Suffering and physical
death result..
This is a race mind
belief in a picture
that tries to tell
us this is how we must
live and provide
for our needs….
A purely mental construct,
a mental equivalent of
illusion, the belief
in lies….
Is there another way
to live?
Is there another
source of supply?
Is there a mental equivalent
that reflects True reality?
Mind reflects,
Love brings to life,
all our needs.
This is God’s life,
Gratitude, praise,
joy and celebration
of the glorious goodness
We are heirs of,
by right of divine
origin and heritage
Thank you Evan. This has been in my thoughts. I know that it is important to see everyone as God’s expression – perfect and purposeful. I appreciate your reminder of the strength and power of the 91st Psalms. Blessings to all – may peace and love reign supreme in your day.
Thanks, Evan. At home we’ve talked about this subject, holding to the thought that we are in the midst of the kingdom of heaven right NOW, in that “secret place of the most High.” The 91st Psalm was our prayer one night, when driving across the US, we stopped at a rest area and found that there were tornadoes to the east and west of us. We prayed with the 91st Psalm that night, although we went to bed fully clothed in case we had to leave our RV. However, we felt safe under God’s protection. In the morning we saw where the tornado had swept past us.
We cannot be intimidated by error of any sort when we know that God is All-in-all. Thanks to all for your comments. And, Uta, we will hold to the truth, too, for Hamburg.
Thanks, Evan, for your blog and to each and everyone who has commented. Your comments have helped me dealing not with the thought of terrorism, but arson. My former church in Big Bear Lake, CA was totally destroyed by fire last Friday and it appears to have been caused by arson. I have been praying with this week’s lesson about God not being in the fire, and knowing that God is on the field right now and will guide these dear members in the recovery process.
“One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfils the Scripture, ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself;’ annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry,—whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed.” Pg. 340:23-29
Thank you Evan for this Spiritview article and all contributors for sharing your thoughts. Sometimes, we have to ask “what is going on here?” – what we see or what we know?
God, thinking Love.
Creation, Life was formed.
Can the expression or reflection be anything other than that Mind? No.
Harmony, health, Life, Truth and Love exists. There is no other existence.
Matter and evil are disproved. The effect (reflection) can not control the cause.
One Mind, one harmonious spiritual reflection.
Thank you Evan for your helpful insights. (=
“God and His thoughts”
The infinite only and all.
Thank you for showing us all how to use the 91st Psalm to disarm the idea of terrorism and show how the all power of love, persistence, mercy, and listening to His angels defeat and dismantle the idea of hatred, fear, intolerance & ignorance. Each of us can pray with this familiar and powerful Psalm to obliterate the idea of fear, violence and frustration and lead us to understanding, compassion, brotherly love, respect and friendship. We can leave the old history of the ages and find new paths to seeing each other as children of God living in harmony and respect for one another. Our prayers are powerful and needed and let us join together in this for each other and each nation. “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.”