In her poem “Mother’s Evening Prayer” Mary Baker Eddy reassures us of God’s omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence when she writes, “His arm encircles me, and mine, and all” (Poems, p. 4). Set to music, it is one of the most comforting hymns in the Christian Science Hymnal.
This tender statement is an affirmation of the protection, affection, and watchfulness with which our loving Father-Mother God cares for His creation—for each one of us as an individual spiritual idea of God. It affirms the complete care of every aspect of our experience, and of the universe that includes all of God’s spiritual ideas. The truth in this line of the hymn embraces our entire experience and defines the total control that God has in every circumstance.
To look more deeply into the power of that poetic statement, we need to learn more about the true nature of our relationship to God. The Bible and the writings of Mrs. Eddy provide guidance as to how to understand and apply our knowledge of the protection the passage describes—God’s constant, all-encompassing care.
