Eye on the world: A prayerful response to the threat of wildfires

Recently, The Christian Science Monitor has reported on the wildfires burning in California in the United States, as well as the troubling dry-season conditions facing the Amazon forest in South America. In “How California’s Sand Fire kindles hearts determined to help” the Monitor states that “as disaster leads to tragedy, so too does it breed compassion and generosity.” As communities in California rally support for the firefighters working through a hot, dry summer, the cooperation and collaboration aids their efforts. And in “This El Niño season could spark intense wildfires in Amazon” the Monitor reports on the technological advances that are being used to better predict and respond to potential fires in the Amazon—technology that can be shared to combat fires in other parts of the world as well. In both North and South America, and across the globe, the fear of destructive natural disasters is being counteracted by unifying effort against the harmful effects of the fires.

Ideas on this subject:

From the Bible:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

II Timothy 1:7

O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.

Psalms 117:1, 2

From the writings of Mary Baker Eddy:

All is under the control of the one Mind, even God.

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 544

Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious—as Life eternally is—can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not. Let Christian Science, instead of corporeal sense, support your understanding of being, and this understanding will supplant error with Truth, replace mortality with immortality, and silence discord with harmony.

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 495

Related articles from The Christian Science Journal and the Christian Science Sentinel:

In “The fire consumed not”: “The understanding that Christian Science operates as divine law shows us how to eradicate evil on the basis that it is lawless, hence provably nothing. As Science quickens our thought into purer, holier consciousness and we discern that being is spiritual, not material, we demonstrate man’s unity with the Father-Mother God. We also become increasingly aware of divine protection, and fear of the violence of evil is stilled. Whatever the need, our help is here and now available through unwavering reliance on the ever-present law of God.” And, “Mind is cognizant of neither danger nor destruction; Mind knows only its own ideas. All that God made is very good and is forever intact. Truth, or God, always destroys the lie; and error, the opposite of Truth, is powerless and is nothing.”

In “Drought relief on the prairie”: “God's government must have an effect that’s as good as its spiritual source. Furthermore, because God is always present, His healing law must be available in every situation. And like its source, divine law must be trustworthy and protective.” And, “When faced with weather extremes and their consequences, you may think you are a helpless victim with no control. But the Scriptures dispute that concept. They tell us that God gave His children the ability to subdue danger and to subjugate the terror it instigates. When you’re confronted with dangerous or unstable conditions, you have an effective means of maintaining your God-given ability to prevail—prayer.”

The articles above and others dealing with this subject can be found on JSH-Online.com or on CSMonitor.com.

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