Listening for God's protecting guidance
I had been working all day on a project with a friend. When we got in my car to head home, I turned on the heater because it was cold outside. But within a short time, it was evident that the heater wasn’t working. Since the heater had been working earlier, I was concerned that there might be a problem. I turned it off and began to pray about our safety.
As a student of the Bible, I’m familiar with the many wonderful passages, especially in Psalms, that speak of God’s protection and love for each of us. This is one of my favorites: “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me” (Psalms 139:7-10).
These ideas, along with what Christian Science has revealed about God’s love for each of us, gave me confidence in God’s protecting love. Given the many experiences I’ve had showing the effectiveness of prayer, I knew I could listen for God’s guidance and heed any resulting intuition about what to do.
The car worked fine as we continued, but the windows fogged up when we got onto the highway, so I turned on the defroster. Not moments after, the engine warning light went on, and I felt led to where to quickly pull off the road. I was grateful to find that this spot was well away from the significant traffic around us.
As I called for a tow truck, I prayed even more earnestly. I continued to affirm that God was present with us and that not only would we be safe, but that I would be led to take the right steps to fix the car. My vehicle had more than 100,000 miles on it, so I was worried about how much a repair might cost. But I held fast to the idea that God, divine Love, could lead me safely forward, guiding me, and providing for us, in just the right way.
I found this familiar statement from Christian Science discoverer Mary Baker Eddy so helpful: “God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies. Never ask for to-morrow: it is enough that divine Love is an ever-present help; and if you wait, never doubting, you will have all you need every moment” (“Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 307). I saw how important it was not to doubt God, and to heed His spiritual ideas – guiding me to know when it was safe to continue as well as where to pull off the road.
When the cheery tow truck driver showed up, he assured us that the fuel pump on the car had gone. He said that this was an expensive repair, but that that’s the way things are with cars. You just have to accept it.
I wasn’t ready to accept it though. I held to the conviction that I would have whatever I needed, whether it was the money to pay for the repair or some other solution that wasn’t evident yet. It was a conviction based on Christ Jesus’ teachings to trust in God and understand that divine Love indeed cares for us, giving us the wisdom to know what to do.
At the repair shop, I felt inspired to leave a kind note with the car, and we took a taxicab home.
About 10 the next morning an employee at the repair shop called and said, “You dodged a bullet.” He said the problem wasn’t the fuel pump but a leak coming from one of the radiator hose clamps, which could have broken down the engine in no time at all had we continued driving. The repair was completed quickly and with much less cost than expected. It was clear to me that listening for God’s guidance and trusting in it kept us alert, safe, and provided for.
This, among many other experiences, has built within me a wonderful trust in God, as a loving Father-Mother who is always there for us. Even when it may not seem evident, we can pray for the protection and love we need and learn to demonstrate them in our lives.
