About eight years ago, I was in charge of conducting my college’s Christian Science Organization (CSO) meetings. I lived quite far from campus, and so I needed to leave home early in order to have time to find a taxi and arrive at the meeting before everyone else. That day, I had taken a quick shower and had gotten partially dressed. Bare-chested, I went to check on the sauce that I had previously put on the gas stove and that was now boiling. Inadvertently, my hand touched the handle of the pan, and the pan tipped over. The boiling sauce spilled all over my chest.
My first reaction was to exclaim: “God is all-powerful! Evil has no power at all!” I was in a prayerful spirit, conscious of the presence of God, and that helped me stay calm in this situation. I simply washed the sauce from my body, then turned with all my heart to Psalm 91. Verses three and four particularly caught my attention: “Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”
I also affirmed the absolute power of God by singing again and again Hymn 10 from the Christian Science Hymnal, which I love so much. This strengthened me in the assurance that God’s protection was present and effective. I gave particular attention to the first verse of this hymn, which says:
