Prayer and ‘God’s disposal of events’
In a country, in a household, in a business, or in any organization, disagreements on important issues can sometimes escalate, with people quickly taking sides and splitting off into opposing camps. And, as you’ve probably seen, emotionally based, quick reactions usually don’t go far toward resolving things.
If we find ourselves in this kind of situation, we have important choices to make. It’s easy just to complain about things, become alienated, and leave it at that. But taking the high road on an issue—a road to resolution—means putting out more effort of the right kind. I have found that my best effort in resolving a difficult issue means taking time to pray.
To me, the most helpful kind of prayer isn’t asking God repeatedly to take my side. No, what we truly need to be interested in is something far different from pushing our own agenda, however right it may seem. Shouldn’t we be engaged in helping to bring light from listening for God’s answers? God is infinite, impartial Love. He is all-knowing divine Mind, who isn’t influenced by a personal, human view of things. He always maintains the harmony and well-being of what He made, the perfection of His spiritual creation. Letting go of preconceptions, and realizing in prayer that divine Mind truly governs all in harmony, we’ll see solutions come to light. Answers will inevitably become apparent that are right and just for everyone.
Deep faith in God’s perfect leading and care for all grows in proportion to what we understand and put into practice of His nature as the only power, the only governor, the only Mind. Effective prayer requires that we shut out of thought the cacophony of human opinions, the clamor of many supposed minds separate from God, and realize that He is the one infinitely wise divine intelligence. It is Mind’s will to which we look and humbly bow. Why? Because Mind is the source of all lasting harmony, expressing love impartially to all, including you and me. In prayer, we need to recognize this and see that Mind’s will is not only being done, but is done. It is done because it’s the spiritual reality of existence, the “very good” that characterizes all that God has made (Genesis 1:31 ).
It is Mind’s will to which we look and humbly bow.
Yielding to the divine will leads to long-term good for everyone. Whenever we think and pray about hot issues that any organization or nation is working through, it can be helpful to remember these words in the Bible, referring to God: “Unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear” (Isaiah 45:23 ). Everyone must ultimately bow to God’s will—to the only power and authority—and enjoy the equity and justice that the divine will includes. When we’ve realized in prayer the supremacy and unerring government of the one Mind, our faith naturally deepens in the certainty that the divine power will be felt and have its way—that our prayer is effective.
I’ve been greatly helped over the years by what Mary Baker Eddy once said in relation to the war between Russia and Japan (see The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, pp. 279–281 ). She had put a notice in the Christian Science Sentinel in 1905, asking the members of her Church to pray daily for peace between those nations.
A short time later, in another notice, she asked everyone to “cease special prayer for the peace of nations ….” She added, “and cease in full faith that God does not hear our prayers only because of oft speaking, but that He will bless all the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand nor say unto Him, What doest Thou?”
And finally, in still another issue of the Sentinel, she published the following: “In no way nor manner did I request my church to cease praying for the peace of nations, but simply to pause in special prayer for peace. And why this asking? Because a spiritual foresight of the nations’ drama presented itself and awakened a wiser want, even to know how to pray other than the daily prayer of my church,—‘Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.’
“I cited, as our present need, faith in God’s disposal of events.”
Not long after that, there was an announcement of peace between Russia and Japan.
The phrase, “a wiser want,” certainly caught my eye! To stop the special prayer for peace each day and instead have “faith in God’s disposal of events” would, to me, be taking the next step forward. It would express a firm trust in the power of prayer, based on unchanging spiritual truth, to result in progress and healing.
I believe that a deeply rooted faith in God’s disposal of events is vital to the appropriate resolution of specific national, organizational, and personal differences today, too. Prayer that’s based on a spiritual understanding of the one Mind and its perfect government—and affirms that truth with conviction—is essential. But faith that is the natural outcome of such understanding is vital as well. We need to be willing to trust our prayers. Repeated, frantic prayer is faithless; loving, firm trust in God overflows with faith and leads to healing.
One dictionary definition of the word disposal is “a particular method of attending to or settling matters.” Allowing divine wisdom to do the settling is preferable to trusting human opinions. Sometimes it’s helpful to realize that there are aspects of an issue that one doesn’t at first recognize.
If I form an opinion without knowing all the facts, my opinion isn’t at all judicious and won’t settle a matter wisely. In fact, Mary Baker Eddy writes in her primary work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “Science shows that material, conflicting mortal opinions and beliefs emit the effects of error at all times, but this atmosphere of mortal mind cannot be destructive to morals and health when it is opposed promptly and persistently by Christian Science. Truth and Love antidote this mental miasma, and thus invigorate and sustain existence” (pp. 273–274 ).
We want something that will attend to and settle an issue in a way that will bring the most good to the world. We want to look only to the authority of God, who is Truth and Love. This means being meek enough to embrace unconditionally God’s will instead of our own. Time after time Jesus did this with great success. “Not my will, but thine, be done,” he said (Luke 22:42 ).
With practice, it becomes more and more natural for us to desire that only God’s will be done when praying about any tough issue. Watch how the intelligence of God does bring needed light. And clearly, praying with deep faith in God’s disposal of events isn’t at all passive. It’s not just resigning ourselves to accept whatever happens, no matter what. No, faithfully to admit God’s will and authority into our thoughts brings divine power to bear on issues, helping to resolve them. It can result in the healing of simmering hates and old grudges. In order to resolve the tough issues, it feels good to step away from mortal reacting, take a deep breath, and embrace “a wiser want”—a prayerful, humble faith in God’s answers.
