The east coast of the United States had been hit hard by a powerful hurricane, and a huge tree had crashed onto my house, damaging it substantially. As soon as the storm abated, family and neighbors helped me take steps to prevent further damage and to contact a familiar and trusted contractor. Repairs began quickly, but soon all work stopped. My contractor had been injured and was unable to work, and major roadwork on my street made it difficult for workers to even reach the house. As the days dragged into weeks, I became frustrated over the delay and angry about pressure from others to hire a different contractor to finish the work.

However, a transformation from frustration and anger to prayer and patience began in church one Sunday morning.

In the calm of that Sunday service, I took to heart the Bible Lesson-Sermon (found in the Christian Science Quarterly) that included the account of Nehemiah rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. In spite of enemies wanting to stop the work, it went forward as Nehemiah assured the city’s inhabitants and officials of the presence of God: “I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me” (Nehemiah 2:18). In a moment of silent prayer during the service, I realized that I, too, could both affirm and accept the spiritual fact that God’s hand, the power and presence of His goodness, was upon me.