How are you praying about recent events in Washington, DC?

The invasion of the United States Capitol last month sounded alarm bells. And they are pealing even louder as a result of a recent survey revealing that about 30 percent of Americans feel that if elected leaders aren’t going to “protect” America, the people must do it themselves, even if it means resorting to violence.

From Washington, DC, resident Emma Herman:

In times like these, I remind myself that even the smallest of truths taught by Christ Jesus has the ability and potency to have an impact on the collective thinking in the world. Like a small amount of yeast in bread, even a touch of the Christ can raise public thought.

I live near the Capitol, and when news of the riots broke, my initial frantic thought was for the safety of those in danger. I turned rather desperately to the Bible for comfort and was lovingly chastened by the impartiality of spiritual healing illustrated throughout. 

Wasn’t it the Christ-power that protected Daniel in the lions’ den and that transformed the nature of Saul (later known as St. Paul)? Prayer rooted in the understanding of God’s omnipotence blesses impartially. It saves not only the victims but also the victimizers and leaves all untainted by traumatic events. No one is excluded from this elevating influence. As Mary Baker Eddy writes, “Truth is an alterative in the entire system, and can make it ‘every whit whole’ ” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 371).

I am finding that it is never too late or too soon to turn thought to divine Truth. As demonstrated by the protected Daniel and the reformed Saul, the reward is only practical good.

From Christian Science practitioner Alexandre Fischer in France:

Events in Washington at the beginning of 2021 got me praying a lot harder and in much more focused ways. The plans of leaders around the world with various motivations and intentions have impelled me to stand firmly for the power of divine Truth in action. Truth allows growth to happen only from good soil where moral values and divine innocence and authority can take root. Like plants in nutrient-poor soil, people cannot thrive where moral values have collapsed. 

The events in Washington last month have made me much less casual in these prayers. I feel much more alert now. This alertness helps me to not dismiss events and just go about my day. Instead, I find myself addressing the larger issue looming for all worldwide of needing to plant our lives in the good soil. 

To agree with violence is to agree that God, infinite good, could somehow be absent. But that’s impossible. Instead of dwelling on the drama of disturbing events, I choose to dwell on the all-good power of God. This brings more peace and more certainty of divine government in action.

My prayer goes out for all elected officials as well as voters, to know that all can stand on the basis of true morality and the spiritual sense of man. This spiritual sense cannot lapse. It is within man’s being. Therefore, peace and love and wisdom characterize the true man. 

From international peacebuilder and author Libby Hoffman: 

I think the call for all of us in helping bring healing to the division we’re seeing in the world right now is to be willing to accept the fullness of what divine Love has for us and for our world. There is much more love available for all of us than we have yet been able to receive. 

The fullness of divine Love in our lives enables us to deal with difficult things and come out stronger. And the question I’ve been asking is, How can we each cultivate a capacity to deal with tough questions and uncomfortable truths in constructive ways that help others do the same? 

There is much more love available for all of us than we have yet been able to receive.  

The things that we care the most about are where we feel the intensity of conviction or fear, longing or despair. And this is where divine power comes in. God gives us the capacity to understand that Love is present, regardless of what the situation looks like on the outside or feels like on the inside. That is the Christ message at its essence: that the Christ is allied to divine Life, even in the midst of intense persecution. We are allied to Life, God, no matter what. And there’s a great peace that comes with that conviction. 

The divine power shows us we’re already in the resurrection. All the power of good that is needed for us and for our world is here already. The Christ enables us to see it and to encourage its further expression—even if we don’t yet know what it will look like—and to do that courageously and persistently. Divine Love is available to all of us. It’s “impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals” (Science and Health, p. 13). The first step is the willingness to accept the fullness of what Love has for us.

We look forward to sharing more prayers from readers on a different topic next month.