Article August 27, 2018 Issue

Silent prayer and the courage to take a stand

Katie Mangelsdorf

Silent prayer can bring confidence and courage to anyone who wants to walk in the footsteps of Christ Jesus and heal as he taught his followers to do. Jesus often retreated to a quiet, solitary place to commune with his Father, God, in prayer. His devout prayers solidified his trust in God and gave him the spiritual strength and courage to face down opposing, even adversarial, thoughts and to heal the sick and sinning.

Silent prayer is one way to learn more about God and ourselves. An honest, heart-to-heart, listening conversation with God can lead us to claim what is good and true and enable us to weed out and destroy destructive thoughts. In silent prayer, when we open ourselves to God revealing His goodness and His power to purify our thoughts, we become mentally and spiritually strong.

In her autobiography, Retrospection and Introspection, Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, noted three qualities that elevate one’s thoughts and inspire courage and right actions. She wrote, “The best spiritual type of Christly method for uplifting human thought and imparting divine Truth, is stationary power, stillness, and strength; and when this spiritual ideal is made our own, it becomes the model for human action” (p. 93). These qualities are particularly relevant when we pray. Many years ago, I learned something about how to courageously take a stand for what is right and good by applying these three qualities in prayer.

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