Growing up attending a Protestant Sunday School, I remember being particularly taken with the idea of God’s eternality—“from everlasting to everlasting,” as the Bible describes Him (Psalms 90:2). But in my early years of church and prayer, I don’t recall ever feeling that this everlasting God was particularly approachable or loved me, or that He actually heard and responded to my prayers. On the contrary, I was left with the unsatisfying impression that my only hope of drawing close to God lay at some point in the future, perhaps after I passed on, assuming that I’d led a righteous life.

Then, when I was in my thirties, a friend introduced me to Christian Science. One of the things that struck me about its teachings was the idea that God is always with me, always meeting my needs and caring for me. In the very first chapter of her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy points out, “In divine Science, where prayers are mental, all may avail themselves of God as ‘a very present help in trouble’ ” (pp. 12–13).

This idea of God’s practical nearness and immediacy was a revelation to me. As I began learning how to pray more effectively—for my own needs as well as those of others—I started to see swift and tangible evidence of God’s beneficial presence all around me: Strained relationships were renewed, employment issues resolved, and health problems healed. These proofs of God’s ceaseless care drew me closer to Him and enabled me to feel His love in ways I never had before.