Chariots of fire in the suburbs

I love the Bible stories in each weekly Christian Science Bible Lesson published in the Christian Science Quarterly and really search for their application to my daily life. One very practical application became clear on a drive to my Christian Science branch church one Sunday morning.

Shortly after I pulled out of my Georgia subdivision onto a small road, another car pulled out in front of me, heading in the same direction. The car was going slowly and weaving between the lanes. The driver appeared to be preoccupied with something next to her and began applying makeup when she stopped at the first stop sign.

My first response was agitation. The driver could have allowed me to pass before pulling onto the road! There was no room on the narrow road to pass the driver, so it appeared I was going to be stuck behind her for several miles. I’d allowed myself just enough time to get to church, so I figured this delay was going to make me late. My frustration was growing with each thought, and I could hardly wait until we reached an area where I could pass the driver. 

Meanwhile, the Bible Lesson was playing on my iPod through my car speakers. The story that played was about Elisha and the chariots of fire that came to protect him from the Syrian army. As I listened, this line permeated my thought: “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (II Kings 6:16 ). I hit the pause button to stop and consider this passage and how I could apply the spiritual meaning of this verse to my immediate situation. I reasoned that “us” represented divine Love and its manifestation, man, and that “them” was error (any suggestion that divine Love was not in control). I started to replace each erroneous, agitated thought with true and loving thoughts. 

First, I began loving the other driver. I realized it was silly to think that she had intentionally angered me. Then I began appreciating the fact that because we are both a part of divine Love’s manifestation, we could be only considerate, obedient, and law-abiding. I started to feel more peaceful about the situation. I expected the driver would also naturally feel God’s love and considerately pull over so I could pass. But nothing changed. Agitation crept back in, and I could tell that my prayers were only superficial and ultimately ineffective. So I resumed listening to the Bible Lesson.

The story continued: “And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (II Kings 6:17 ). Elisha knew the “chariots of fire” were already there, but he prayed for his servant to see them, too. And the servant did see! To see so many protecting them must have been so comforting to the servant and probably brought much-needed relief from his fear of the Syrian army.

I yearned to see my own chariots of fire—proof that I was surrounded by divine Love, right there in my car. Then it struck me that divine Love’s goodness surrounds us all the time. And I had the choice—to continue to be angry, or to turn my thought to rejoice in God’s love. In that moment, angel thoughts from God began to flood my thinking with truths and inspiration. These were my chariots.

The first was affirming that divine Mind, God, is the sole creator and that man is His idea, made in His image and likeness (see Genesis 1:26, 27 ). The second was to begin understanding that all of God’s ideas work together for good (see Romans 8:28 ). God doesn’t create an idea that can cause problems or disrupt another idea’s purpose, nor is God’s idea susceptible to disruption. We love and support each other; that is our divine purpose.

Soon the other driver and I came to a stop at a red light next to a duck pond, and I watched a little scene unfold outside my window. A couple was walking their dog along a path next to the pond. The woman stopped, pointed at something in the water, and all three turned to look. The man nodded and lovingly wrapped his arm around her while their small dog sat on the grass. I was so touched by this scene and grateful for how it demonstrated to me the love and support that God created us to have for each other.

I recalled a statement Mary Baker Eddy makes in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “Glory be to God, and peace to the struggling hearts!” (p. 45 ). Instead of giving up and giving in to anger, I continued practicing truly finding peace and joy. I gave thanks for the reminder that our true nature is to love, support, and encourage—whether it be putting our arm around someone, giving a simple nod of understanding, or quietly loving everyone around us.

My car and my thinking were so full of “chariots of fire,” of loving thoughts from God, that there was no space for anger or agitation. I was so grateful for this new inspiration from Elisha’s story and felt genuinely happy for the opportunity to love the other driver in front of me. At the next light, we both turned onto a larger four-lane highway. When I did pass her, I couldn’t help but smile and give a friendly wave.

I made it to church with a few minutes to spare and was so ready to see these “chariots” surrounding my fellow branch church members and our community.