SENTINEL WATCH October 27, 2003 Issue

Prayer for the Middle East

Name removed by request

Last spring , in preparation for a conference I was co-directing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I gave a lot of thought to identifying what I perceived to be the barriers to peace in the Middle East.

One major obstacle that occurred to me was intransigence—anger, hurt, or pride. Clashing opinions and desires create stalemate, obscuring the possibility of peace.

In praying about this before the conference, I thought about the Bible story of Saul's transformation (see Acts 9:1–22). Saul was hardheadedly determined to persecute Christians whom he saw as the enemy. But his nature was completely transformed when he clearly perceived the healing power of "the Christ," which is explained in Science and Health as "the divine idea of God"—an idea, not a person. The author, Mary Baker Eddy, went on to say, "Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and the prophets caught glorious glimpses of the Messiah, or Christ, which baptized these seers in the divine nature, the essence of Love" (pp. 332–333). When Saul "caught a glimpse" of the Christ, his life changed. He took the new name of Paul, and devoted his life to helping and healing. I concluded that if Saul could be so inspired, hearts of people in this age can hear the voice of divine Love and find humility, compassion, and peace. Because Love is God, Love is supreme, and no character trait can stand up against that.

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