Germany: a future of hope and wisdom

Twenty-five years ago, few would have thought Germany would turn so quickly into the unified powerhouse that it is now. The energy, intelligence, and courage shown by its government and people have supported this progress. And the efforts of neighboring nations to work together has brought stability to Europe as a whole.

Now, in the midst of the eurozone crisis, leaders of its countries are under intense pressure to find an intelligent and compassionate response to member nations threatened by huge debts, a solution that won’t sink the stronger economies under the burden. Germany has faced substantial pressure to help more because its finances are in such good shape.

Prayer for balance among the nations, and for cooperation and trust, is one way we can help. Fear that the weak may drag down the strong can be alleviated through deeply pondering this verse from a psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want” (23:1). God’s infinite goodness erases a want of understanding, of patience, of strength, of vision, of compassion. To pray with this psalm, and insist on divine Love’s presence with those who are negotiating, will do much. And we are blessed each time we insist that God will not abandon us or anyone who turns to Him.

Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science and founded the Monitor, identified the Shepherd as divine Love (see “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 578). Claiming divine Love as the Shepherd for the eurozone nations can inspire our prayers. Divine Love erases fear, criticism, jealousy, judgmentalism. When these elements of thought are gone, leaders and citizens can more readily discern the real needs and how best to meet them.

Unlike human love, which may have mixed motives, God’s love rests on divine law, the Principle that is motivated by divine intelligence and clarity. The one God, one Love, doesn’t have conflicting motives to reconcile. Its nature as law uncovers moral slackness and brings about correction. Under God’s care, the financial structure can be reformed and freed of its woes – but also re-formed in a way that uplifts the whole system.

In prayer, we can claim that God’s impartial and abundant love will reveal solutions that bless all parties. Our part in this process isn’t merely an intellectual exercise, but spiritual. Science and Health speaks of Jesus’ prayers as “deep and conscientious protests of Truth, – of man’s likeness to God and of man’s unity with Truth and Love” (p. 12). Our prayers, too, should have the quality of persistence, a conviction in the spirituality of God’s sons and daughters, and trust in the divine power of Love to save.

When people join in prayer, this collective turning to a Higher Power changes individual thoughts. It makes hearts more tender toward one’s neighbors and breaks down barriers of suspicion. Even those of us who aren’t directly affected can be blessed by such prayer’s ability to bring love for others and for God to the front of thought.

At this point our neighbors in the eurozone may not know the outcome of their work, but our prayers can affirm that their Shepherd, divine Love, is with them.