God is the only power

The ongoing taunting threats made by the Islamic State militants, interspersed with the cruel murder of innocent hostages, have been disturbing to say the least. But as intimidating and real as these threats may seem, they have no power or authority behind them. Fear, intimidation, cruelty, and hatred are impotent before God, divine Love. How does one claim the impotence of evil in the midst of all the forms of wickedness that seem to be running rampant in the world today?

Our prayers for the world need to start with God, and not fear. God is omnipotent. That doesn’t mean He’s a really strong God who’s fighting for us on some level. Omnipotence means all-powerful. God isn’t one of many powers, but the one and only supreme power operating today—here and everywhere.

This fact, coupled with the understanding that God is good itself, negates the possibility that evil can exist or take action. Oh, it can seem real, much as the erroneous equation 2+2=10 can mistakenly be written on a whiteboard. But, just as this incorrect equation doesn’t have the laws of mathematics behind it to make it true, neither do evil’s jeering taunts have the one Principle, divine Love, behind them to allow them reality or authority.

Would an infinite God, who is all-powerful and Love itself, allow His creation to bow to evil—His perceived opposite? The answer must be no. In the book of Proverbs it says, “The evil bow before the good; and the wicked at the gates of the righteous” (Prov. 14:19). Evil has no choice but to go down before the omnipotence of good.

In Bible times, the shepherd boy David proved the saving power of God when he volunteered to fight against the giant Philistine, Goliath. (See I Samuel, chapter 17.) Goliath never ceased to taunt Saul and the army of Israel. Like the terrorists we see today, he was loud, larger than life, and was relentless in his jeering. The whole army of Israel was paralyzed with fear at the possibility that one of them would have to single-handedly take down this brute.

But David had proved the power of trusting God for his strength when he had slain a bear and a lion to protect his sheep. And he knew that same good and omnipotent Principle, Love, was at work with him that day against the bellowing Goliath. He armed himself with five smooth stones, his slingshot, and the understanding that anything that defied God’s goodness couldn’t stand. And he came out on top; with only one stone, David took Goliath down. David was victorious, not because he was a good shot, but because he trusted the power of divine goodness to work through him, and to vanquish the impersonal evil Goliath represented.

That’s right: Evil is never about people. In the words of Mary Baker Eddy, “Evil is nothing, no thing, mind, nor power” (Science and Health, p. 330). Evil is impersonal, and that’s why its eradication comes, not from the destruction of people or groups, but through the acceptance of the power and allness of Good, God.

Good is an armor that cannot be penetrated by evil. Rest assured that those who have experienced harm at the hand of terrorism are still safe in Love’s embrace. Not only can human hatred not harm man’s spiritual nature and substance, it can’t even touch him. It takes spiritual sense to accept this fact. We must ask God, the good creator of all, for our facts, and refuse to accept erroneous information no matter how disturbingly believable or convincing it seems to be.

Next time evil images, words, or threats attempt to terrorize you, remember the shepherd boy, David, and his victory over Goliath. The omnipotence of God triumphed over evil then, and its presence is still triumphing over and neutralizing evil in the world today.