Article August 10, 1987 Issue

Trust in God— a sure protection

Even when no one is around, God is always at hand to protect us and keep us safe. This is the nature of Love.

Virginia L. Austin

The unkempt stranger standing on my front porch asked me if he could use my telephone. Something about him did not seem right. With a pounding heart I answered that I would make the call for him. He then asked me for a drink of water. I turned and went into the house, trembling with fear. It was late at night and I was alone. My husband was out of the state on a business trip. We live on a small ranch several miles out of town with few neighbors, most of whom do not live closer than a quarter of a mile. I had been reading, and when our dogs commenced barking, I had gone outside to see why.

As I closed the door behind me, fear and a sense of vulnerability mounted. I forced myself to stand there quietly, and I prayed silently, "Oh, Father, ever-present Love, help me, help me!" Almost immediately this variation on a well-known Bible verse came to me: "No man cometh unto me except the Father hath sent him" (see John 6:44). I felt a calmness enveloping me, and I was suddenly no longer afraid. I stepped back outside onto the porch, and there was no one there! I do not know whether this individual had meant to harm me, but his actions had definitely been odd. The main thing this experience taught me was that by our truly effacing a fear, the apparent cause of the fear will either vanish or cease to affect us.

The study of Christian Science teaches us of God's great love for us as His dear children, whom He created in His own image and likeness. When we call upon our Father importunately, we feel His presence as a great cloak of protection, a shield completely enveloping us in His infinitude.

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