The Gary American

Our Secret Weapon

Progress,
Bunyan tells how
Christian, when going through
the valley of the shadow of death,
found enemies that were immune
to the sword with which he had
vanquished Apollyon, so "he was
forced to put up his Sword, and
betake himself to another weapon
called
All-prayer."
When the
fiends
were come even almost at
him, he cried out with a most ve-
hement voice, I will walk in the
strength of the Lord God; so they
gave back, and came no further."

Christian's sword was of no avail
against the blasphemies whis-
pered so subtly in his ear that he
mistook them for his own
thoughts, but the weapon of pray-
er brought him safely through the
ordeal.

One who lived in England dur-
ing the worst of the blitz, speak-
ing of the wonderful protection
experienced by those who sought
the way of escape through prayer,
said it was difficult to understand
unless one were there, but in their
darkest hour it seemed the whole
nation lived in prayer! Thus did
those materially unprepared for
war
find themselves equipped
with a secret weapon of defense.

So spiritually empowered were
they with courage and a con-
sciousness of nearness to God that
they could prove to the world it
is possible for civilization to sur-
vive the barbarous onslaught of
savage modern warfare. . .

Spiritual power accompanies
understanding now as it did when
Jesus sent forth seventy of his stu-
dents to preach and heal, telling
them, "Behold, I give unto you
power . . . over all the power of
the enemy: and nothing shall by
any means hurt you" (Luke 10:
19). No weapon of the carnal
mind can withstand the Christ-
power operative today through
enlightened prayer. In the light
of Truth the carnal mind, which
"is enmity against God" (Romans
8:7), is seen to be a lie, a decep-
tion which vanishes before the
Mind of Christ.

The rulers of the darkness of
deception hold no sway in the
realm of light. Their effort, there-
fore, is to prevent the use of our
secret weapon of prayer. Unerr-
ing in aim, instant in action, in-
finite in range, and ever available,
prayer is as irresistible in attack
as it is invulnerable in defense.
Nor can the enemy prevent its use
by the Christian soldier. One
must guard against resistance of
the carnal mind to his use of
prayer. Evil would disarm before
it attacks, but the very conflict
arms the righteous and girds him
for victory. . .

Jesus taught us the use of our
secret
weapon when he said
(Matthew 6:6): "When thou pray-
est, enter into thy closet, and
when thou hast shut thy door,
pray to thy Father which is in
secret; and thy Father which
seeth in secret shall reward thee
openly." Writing of this secret
but effective prayer in "Science
and Health with Key to the Scrip-
tures" Mary Baker Eddy says (p.
15), "The closet typifies the sanc-
tuary of Spirit, the door of which
shuts out sinful sense but lets in
Truth, Life, and Love." She con-
tinues: In the quiet sanctuary of
earnest longings, we must deny
sin and plead God's allness. We
must resolve to take up the cross,
and go forth with honest hearts
to work and watch for wisdom,
Truth, and Love." And she says
further, "The Master's injunction
is, that we pray in secret and let
our lives attest our sincerity."

Those who have learned to use
this weapon of prayer are win-
ning priceless victories. Through
prayer, the risen Christ comes
again through doors which fear
has closed, with the sublime mes-
sage of triumph, "Peace be unto
you."--The Christian Science Moni-
tor.