I once received calls from a couple of people asking me to pray about similar but unrelated concerns. Each explained that they had been praying and doing everything humanly possible to resolve the aggressive and hurtful situations they found themselves in. Each one had been asking God for guidance on how to resolve these issues, but neither was seeing progress. 

Their concerns were not unusual. In fact, over this past year, I have become increasingly aware of the many conflicts people (myself included) have to deal with. And the biggest challenge is often the feeling that we are responsible for solving these problems. 

Christian Scientists trustingly turn to God for help, but it can often be difficult to turn the entire situation over to God and remove our own sense of personal responsibility from the equation. We are, in fact, responsible for turning to God in prayer, but the belief that we must orchestrate the solution to our problems even as we ask for God’s help seems to be a common misperception that stands in the way of healing. This false sense of responsibility is a product of human will and results in anxiety and fear, clouding our spiritual sense—our innate ability to know and understand God.