Just when I thought I was not making progress in my study of divine Science, inspiration came, and I was filled with good cheer and immense gratitude.

I found what I was looking for in that week’s Bible Lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly, which shared the story of Nehemiah. His example shows us how important it is to pray before taking any steps on our own to try to resolve a problem. Before he began rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem to protect his people, he humbly prayed to God. Nehemiah had great trust in God, and this enabled him to complete the work of reconstruction in 52 days. 

I likened the story of Nehemiah to a children’s video I was watching with my grandson. In the show, extraterrestrial scientists spy on a teenager and try to divert his attention without being noticed, similar to how enemies conspired against Nehemiah, attempting to divert his focus from the reconstruction of Jerusalem’s walls. How many times are we subtly tempted to let our focus be diverted? This is how evil, or the carnal mind, seems to work: It subtly voices itself in thought and, if we’re not alert, takes over.