To many Christians, and especially to Sentinel readers, that title may sound redundant. How could any act of caring be truly Christian unless it was prayer-led? Christian Science, firmly grounded in the Bible, places a strong emphasis on prayer. Prayer is not a last resort, but the first resort, and the individual praying quickly learns that earnest, humble prayer based on an understanding of God as All-in-all—all power, all intelligence, all love—always has a beneficial effect. It dissolves fear, opens thought to hear and respond to divine guidance, inspires loving and wise actions, and heals. 

Actions that don’t proceed from prayerful listening often disappoint. The most well-intended assistance can fall short if it rests on mere human goodness—if we fail to recognize all-knowing divine Mind, God, as the source of all good and follow Mind’s leading. These efforts may accomplish some good, and human goodness is certainly better than human wickedness. But when we find that sweet spot of prayer-inspired understanding and purposefulness, remarkable things can happen. And this can be true for anyone who has a sincere desire to help. “How did you know I needed that?” is often the response to prayer-based caring.

How can we know, when we see someone in need, whether we should just pray, or should also say or do something to help? We should always pray—to see the situation divinely governed. In fact, the words “just pray” fall far short of all the good that Christianly scientific prayer can bring to any situation. Prayer that affirms divine Mind as our Mind and our only genuine source of consciousness helps bring our thoughts in line with divine Love, God. This prayer reveals the fact that our very purpose is to reflect divine Love in all that we think and do. We discover clearer views of God as divine Love and of everyone’s pure, spiritual identity as Love’s image.