Sunlight shimmered on the Mississippi River as our boat bounced along on the waves. We had just left the harbor and were on our way to the gas dock about 20 minutes downstream. My daughter was sitting on the bow with her feet dangling over the side. My husband and son were at the helm, and I was seated in the stern with my dad.

If someone had taken a picture of us, it would’ve looked like a happy family outing. But my thoughts at the time were filled with anxiety. The last several trips to fill the gas tank had been disastrous.

It probably seems strange that something this simple would cause anxiety, but each time we approached the gas dock something unexpected created a problem. Even though each of us tried diligently to do our part in bringing the boat to the dock, something always went wrong. Low water obstructed our way. A sudden gust of wind blew us off course. The attendant wasn’t at the dock to throw us the rope we needed.

So once again I was feeling totally helpless and afraid of what might happen at the dock. But then I was suddenly struck by these hopeful ideas: “You’re not helpless. You can pray.”

In her book on Christian healing, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, calls these types of thoughts angels. She explains: “My angels are exalted thoughts, appearing at the door of some sepulchre, in which human belief has buried its fondest earthly hopes. With white fingers they point upward to a new and glorified trust, to higher ideals of life and its joys. Angels are God’s representatives.”

What a relief it was to know that I wasn’t helpless.

I know it’s an angel thought when I feel love and that day I did feel love. These divinely inspired thoughts immediately started to break through the anxiety I had been feeling. What a relief it was to know that I wasn’t helpless.

Prayer can take many different forms. A kind deed can be a prayer. Thinking about the nature of God, the all good Principle that created and governs the universe, can be a prayer. And sometimes just listening is a prayer. That day I listened for more inspiration.

The words, “Be grateful” came into my thought. And I was. I was very grateful for the gentle inspirations that were lifting me out of the nervousness I’d felt. I was grateful for the reminder that God, infinite good, is always present, giving me and everyone all the good ideas that we would ever need. Then came the best inspiration of all, “Thank God in advance!”

As I thought more deeply about this idea, I recalled the Bible’s account of Jesus healing his friend Lazarus. Lazarus had died and his sisters were very sad when Jesus arrived. They thought it was too late. The Bible says that Jesus was moved by their sadness. Even so, that didn’t make him believe Lazarus had lost his life. Jesus stood outside Lazarus’s tomb and thanked God that He had heard his prayers.

Moments later Lazarus walked out of the tomb.

This probably seemed very strange to the people around him. Why thank God for something for which there didn’t appear to be any evidence? Jesus was thanking God in advance. He hadn’t seen Lazarus yet, either, but he knew that Lazarus was safe and well because God was the source of Lazarus’s life. And moments later Lazarus walked out of the tomb in which he had lain four days. Now there’s evidence that God hears prayers!

I was impressed by the depth of Jesus’ conviction that God’s goodness would always prevail. It made me confident that God, good, really is in control of the present, as well as the future. I could be grateful at that very moment that our trip to the gas dock would be a good experience. I silently rejoiced during the rest of the ride knowing all would go well.

The level of the water in the narrow channel at the entrance to the gas dock was very low, but my husband navigated it with ease. There was no wind to throw us off course that day and the attendant was waiting on the dock ready to throw us a rope. Everyone in the boat did their parts perfectly. I was grateful for the smooth and efficient trip, and I was confident I would no longer feel uneasy about this activity.

The knowledge that I could trust God had eliminated my fears.

A much larger healing also took place that day. I realized that it wasn’t the smooth docking that had freed me from the anxiety. The knowledge that I could trust God—the action of good—in the present, as well as for those things yet to come, had eliminated my fears.

Before this, various anxieties were my fairly constant companions. That day I realized the anxiety was mostly fear of what might take place in the future. But on the boat I had seen proof that God’s goodness controls all the details of our lives, now and in the future.

With this conviction, I’ve been able to follow Jesus’ example consistently on a daily basis—giving thanks in advance—whenever I’ve felt nervous. As a result of this prayer, I rarely suffer from nervous thoughts any more. If one does seem to creep into my thinking, it is soon washed out in a flood of gratitude.

We can all be free of anxiety. The love of God is universal. His loving angel thoughts reveal our God-given security, and give us the spiritual confidence to thank God in advance.

Angels, not anxieties:

Science and Health
299:7-12

King James Bible
John 11:32-44