A lot has been said and written in recent years about the science of climate change and the causes of extreme weather. Much of the discussion reflects a difference of opinion on the cause of extreme temperatures and destructive weather events. Yet one thing is certain: The scale and severity of these events can make us feel helpless to do anything about them.
Yet, we are not helpless. Christ Jesus, the individual whom Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, called “the most scientific man that ever trod the globe,” showed us how we can not only be protected from extreme conditions but ultimately mitigate and even prevent them through an understanding of God’s all-power and our God-given dominion over the earth. She explains Jesus’ Christianly scientific approach to discord of every kind: “He plunged beneath the material surface of things, and found the spiritual cause” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 313).
In other words, he didn’t look for or to material causes but instead turned to God, divine Love, recognizing Love as the only cause and effect, the only power in the universe. And he knew that this one and only cause is without a destructive element.
A powerful illustration of this is recorded in the Gospel of Mark in the Bible. We are told that Jesus and his disciples were at sea when a violent storm arose, threatening to sink their ship. Jesus was clearly unafraid; he was certain of God’s loving care and power and absolute control over His entire creation. This understanding gave him dominion over the human experience and endowed him with the ability to rebuke the wind and command the waves. He said, “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39) and calmed not only the fearful mental atmosphere in that boat but also the turbulent weather.
This dominion that Jesus exercised wasn’t unique to him. The Bible tells us that all of us, being made in God’s image and likeness, reflect God’s power and therefore have “dominion … over all the earth” (see Genesis 1:26-28). Jesus fully expected his followers to prove this for themselves (see John 14:12).
Several years ago, a powerful hurricane headed toward our coastal community. The predictions were dire, as the projected path of the hurricane included a highly populated and vulnerable area.
As some friends and I discussed how we were praying about this, it was evident to us that we needed to plunge “beneath the material surface of things” and acknowledge God’s ever-presence and all-power. God is forever maintaining peace and harmony in His creation, which includes everyone in our true nature as His spiritual offspring. We did not accept the forecast of unavoidable discord and instead asked God to show us what was true: that divine Love was loving and governing its creation without interference.
At the time, there was also a scandal unfolding in that state, and a great deal of hatred was directed at the political party involved. It was clear to my friends and me that only the power of divine Love could both dissolve the hatred and calm the storm. This conviction that only Love was present melted our fear despite the intensifying of the hurricane. Our confidence in God’s protection and great love for all grew.
While praying, I opened to the definition of “wind” in the Glossary of Science and Health: “That which indicates the might of omnipotence and the movements of God’s spiritual government, encompassing all things. Destruction; anger; mortal passions” (p. 597).
The first part of this definition gives the spiritual sense or original scriptural meaning of the word, while the second is the material sense of the word. I refuted the material sense of wind – the supposed existence of destruction, anger, and mortal passions – and affirmed that God’s government was encompassing all. Standing with God, the Almighty, is standing with the only true power governing the universe. God is conscious only of His own infinite goodness and harmony.
That goodness was evident when the hurricane abruptly changed course shortly before landfall, weakening and landing in a sparsely populated area. And just as the effects of the hurricane were mitigated, the political storm soon passed. Many people in the state had been praying and rejoiced in the outcome.
You and I can exercise our God-given dominion over the fear that extreme weather is inevitable and unstoppable. Only Love, with its atmosphere of peace, is inevitable and unstoppable. This understanding is a powerful prayer, allowing us to more consistently experience the harmony of divine Love.
Adapted from an article published on sentinel.christianscience.com, Oct. 3, 2024.
