God’s knowledge is power

English philosopher Francis Bacon observed, “Knowledge is power.” Academic knowledge is certainly useful and important! But I’ve found that taking the concept of knowledge a step further – turning to what God knows – is particularly helpful, especially when we’re in trouble. Over and above what the physical senses report to us about ourselves, we can go to God in prayer for knowledge about the spiritual facts of being, which has tangible benefits.

The knowledge and power of God are humbling. When we honor God over our own sense of the world, we realize we don’t know it all and it’s OK to ask God for help. A good way to understand what God sees of His creation is first to examine the nature of the creator. God, whom the Bible describes as Spirit and Love, has no physical attributes and is, therefore, without physical vulnerabilities or limitations.

That which divine Spirit creates must logically reflect the nature and essence of its creator. Each of us has been generously gifted with an identity that is entirely spiritual and entirely good. In our true nature as God’s likeness, we are unlimited and undeterred by physicality, including all the liabilities that come with a material view of life.

And because God is the divine Mind, all His children have the ability to understand spiritually. It doesn’t need to take years of practice to learn to turn to God for knowledge and strength, but rather an honest openness to Mind’s inspiration. Even as a young boy, Jesus leaned on God, divine Spirit. The Bible says about him, “The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom” (Luke 2:40).

Christ Jesus’ identity and role as the Son of God were certainly unique. But his example is for everyone, and he made it clear that all are able to open themselves up and be filled with God’s wisdom, too. This understanding trust in God’s knowledge and power, Jesus proved, brings freedom, melting fear and completely curing ailments. Beyond blind faith, when our trust is founded on some degree of growing understanding of God and His creation, we have a strong basis for finding healing.

In “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” Mary Baker Eddy’s groundbreaking book on God, prayer, and healing, we find this helpful counsel: “Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man” (p. 393).

This was proven to me palpably one time when I was lying on my back underneath my car, replacing the clutch. The transmission slipped and came down squarely on my chest. I was alone in the garage and it didn’t seem I had the strength to free myself.

As I prayed, it became clear that if I saw myself as merely a physical being, I couldn’t do much – my strength and abilities were limited. Yet as a sense of myself as divine Spirit’s image expanded in my thoughts, my fear changed to confidence. And I then found I was able to lift the transmission off my chest and even get it back into its spot under the car.

The clear knowledge we gain from Mind certainly does empower us. It helps us find a solid trust in what’s right and what’s real. It’s a joy to become open to God’s presence and power like that.

Prayer can be a simple yielding to God’s loving, always-present strength and intelligence. We can ask for God’s help in understanding what is spiritually real, and experience how tremendously fulfilling it is to glorify God in this way. As the Bible puts it, “The Lord give thee understanding in all things” (II Timothy 2:7). Then, as we grow in trusting God’s knowledge, our fear dissipates and God’s power shines through.