Article November 5, 2012 Issue

Projection and protection

Bruce R. Schwartz

Years ago, while I was serving my country in Southeast Asia, I was asked the question: “How do you pray for a sense of protection?” During my time in the military it wasn’t uncommon to come under enemy fire.

One day, a Christian Science chaplain ordered all the Christian Science soldiers serving in that region to meet with him. He asked us to share what we believed “protection” was all about. After listening to an array of answers, he shared an idea with us that served me well in the war zone, and has stayed with me ever since. The chaplain said the word to focus on was not “protection” so much as “projection”—in other words, that the Lord does not just protect us, but projects us as well. This means that God enables us to witness His purpose for us, wherever we are. If we are His idea, then He created us to express Him and ensures that we fulfill our purpose. God impels, propels, and protects us, and the indestructible nature of God ensures that we can safely accomplish whatever is ours to do.

At that time my prayer of “projection” became, “I am God’s child, in His service, and I am never out of His reach.” I realized that as God’s idea, I was constantly projected in His service, never out of place or beyond His care. What a wonderful thought: When we are “about [our] Father’s business” (Luke 2:49) we never need to fear for our safety. 