Do you ever wonder how to pray more effectively? How to better hear what God has to say that brings relief your way?
I find one answer to this query in a passage from Science and Health, where Mrs. Eddy writes about how Jesus communed with God when seeking inspiration. She writes, “Jesus prayed; he withdrew from the material senses to refresh his heart with brighter, with spiritual views” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 32).
“…he withdrew from the material senses.” Wow! This is a very revealing statement.
Many people think they are locked in by what the material senses tell them. That they must accept as true what they see with their physical eyes, that they must accept as fact what they hear with their physical ears. But this is illusion. The material senses do not govern us. We are not locked in by what they report, especially when they report something bad.
We have mastery over the physical senses. We can exercise dominion over them, tame them, even silence them. We can withdraw from them, as Jesus did, and commune with God in the Holy Spirit instead. We can listen for ideas coming from divine Mind, rather than entertaining discord and fear coming from mortal mind.
Be quick to play your part in engaging with healing prayer. Waste no time with the material senses. Withdraw from them. Commune with divine Mind instead. The results are far better!
Thank you for the fine thoughts Evan. I especially liked & shall work to:
” listen for ideas coming from divine Mind, rather than entertaining discord and fear coming from mortal mind.”
To withdraw from the material senses helps me to see more beauty all around me.. The shimmering lake, bold mountains, and the face of a friend become more beautiful to my spiritual sense.
Excellent ideas
Thabks.
Thank you John for : “to see more beauty around me”
Yes when we realize we are totally spiritual made, Life take us to another level where every day we see and discover
more and more new fresh ideas ( God’s angels)
Thank you Evan for your ur unstoppable fountain of
Spiritual inspiration , straight from the Spirit.
This is the most beautiful picture, Evan, to illustrate this topic. The beautiful little girl symbolises
for me innocence, purity, and trust in her prayer – and her beloved teddy there with her is
so endearing. She looks like she is totally lost from the material world in
her prayers.
Saw ye my Saviour? Heard ye the glad sound?, Felt ye the power of the Word?
Hymn 298 by Mary Baker Eddy
Thank you Evan very inspiring message
Yes! See, hear, feel the Savior, spiritually. 🙂 Thank you!
Just what I needed for today and every day
Thank you for the inspiring message and the precious picture ❤️
Thank you, Evan, for highlighting this passage from our textbook. I’m sure I have read it hundreds of times, but did not stop to think about what it means to withdraw from material sense. Very helpful! A quick look-up reveals that to “withdraw from” can mean “leaving or stepping back from” something. So today I’ll endeavor to step back from what the material senses are trying to tell me, and pay more attention to God.
I know this has been said so many times before on here, but this message
Really IS just what I needed, to resonate with, dear Evan. It seems lately there
has been an overabundance of material sense beliefs and “physical” challenges
to deal with, which has tried to pull thought down. Sometimes it seems
that others are happier, younger, more attractive physically, richer in a material
world of pleasures, but the sweet little girl depicted above, praying with her
dear toy – sums it all up, with your beautiful message – that it is not the
material senses and what they “seem” to satisfy with, but the spiritual that
blesses. I have started reading Science and Health from cover to cover, which
I have not done before and it is a treasure, as are all of the wonderful thoughts
shared here. Thank you All.
A beautiful picture depicting a beautiful message….so thank you once again dear Evan.
I have just been listening to a wonderful talk given at Arden Wood some 10 or more years ago. It is such clear Christian Science teaching about our one ness with Christ. It’s called ‘’Fruitful, when in Christ abiding ‘’ and by Jurgen Kurt Stark. It’s readily available on Arden Wood u-Tube , plus I’ve visited their site and printed it out…..a very portable version!
I found it enriches the lesson here today and hope some of you will also find it helpful.
Wishing you all a Love filled weekend❣️
Here’s the link to Dr. Stark’s talk. You may have to endure an ad before it begins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXhYyzpzvYA
This talk by Dr Stark is amazingly helpful. I can recommend it to anyone. Thanks for suggesting it. Well worth a listen.
The words, “ We have mastery over the physical senses. We can exercise dominion over them, tame them, even silence them.” speak to me especially right now. I went to my practitioner about the idea I have of tinnitus. Oh, how I desire to have this physical sense silenced! God’s origin is only good, and God did not create this notion I have, she tells me. But my mind is peppered with mortal thoughts. Let the feast of light and life know nothing else, see, feel and hear nothing else. Let mortal sense be silenced.
From the August 2026 Journal, “No that Couldn’t Be” by Mark Swinney, illustrates further the inspiring message Evan has shared with us today. Thank you, Evan.
https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/1cz6cfzoq7m?s=copylink
Thank you Cheryl for providing this excellent article. I like Mark’s explanation of Matthew 5:37, and how it applies to healing prayer. Very insightful and helpful.
Thank you for this excellent message, Evan! The material world is showing new ways of shocking us, stressing us, throwing us, even if momentarily, off balance. I need to keep my “porter” better fed so that my “door” remains better protected. Thank you for this message and reminder.
I love the way Teddy is praying too with his hands together, next to the little girl. X
Thank you Evan and all. I love this thought-provoking and paradigm-shifting SV.
I feel the same, J. The inspirational posts that are shared, and the variety of comments that are made all spring from the blessings of Evan and SpiritView.
“God’s Plan” by Julia M. Johnston, September 1934 CS Journal.
https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/1hwdiexwaqy?s=copylink
Thank you very much dear Cheryl!
Such a great article full of inspiring and healing spiritual ideas. It does so good to listen to!
Thank you very much dear Cheryl!
Such a great article full of inspiring and healing spiritual ideas. It does so good to listen to!
oh its double posted by mistake.
Lovely and blessed weekend to all! ♡
now I found this wellknown, loved hymn # 263 suitable to this SpiritView toppic:
first verse:
Only God can bring us gladness,
Only God can give us preace;
Joys are vain that end in sadness;
Joy divine shall never cease;
Mid the shade of want and sorrow
Undisturbed, our hearts rejoice;
Patient, wait the brighter morrow;
Faithful, heed the Father’s voice!
The foto here, thanks dear Evan, that is so lovely. It’s pure innocence expressed. Just to look at it does very good!
Thanks a lot for your loving, healing SpiritView!