Praying For The World December 15, 2025 Issue

The Christ presence stops violence in its tracks

The man who had appeared so threatening said, “Thank you, brother, . . . for healing me.”

Scott Jenkins

In today’s digital age, 24/7 exposure to news events is common. Such information often seems focused on sensational subjects—including bad actors and bad actions. And even a cursory review of popular TV series and movies finds that most repeat this human storyline over and over. But there is a power that can bring change to such situations, and it rarely gets a mention in either context: the power of Christ, the true idea of God, as illustrated in Jesus’ healing works.

Years ago, I experienced how that power can transform threatening circumstances. I was working in a Christian Science Reading Room. It was in a busy downtown area of a large city, and I was the only staff left in the empty store on a dark, thundering Friday night. The entrance door opened, and in walked a rugged giant of a man who had a fearsome aura about him. He commanded me to call him a cab, which I immediately tried to do, but the line was busy. He became angry.

I became receptive to a power far greater than what seemed to be governing my immediate circumstances.