The Prayer for Protection: Making God Personal
We’ve learned in Unity and New Thought that Jesus brought a new spiritual understanding to the world. He brought a new way to look at God/the creator and a new way to look at our relationship to God.
Jesus generally referred to God as “father,” which in his day was a very positive term. It meant someone who was the head of the family, a leader, a guide, a protector. People looked up to and had faith in their fathers. They willingly followed the wise counsel of a father, knowing he would never lead them astray. They knew that regardless of anything they did or anything that happened, their father would always love them and care for them.
I believe that Jesus wanted us to think of God in those same terms. Jesus took God out of the sky and made that presence and power personal to everyone, everywhere. When I think of the “Prayer for Protection,” I am reminded of this new perspective that Jesus brought to the world. This prayer is all-encompassing, and in just a few short lines, it typifies all that God has done, is doing, and will do for everyone. I know that God is spirit and isn’t a person with gender, but this prayer makes me feel close to that presence and that power.
The Light of God Surrounds Me
When I affirm: The light of God surrounds me, I feel uplifted because I recognize the seeming darkness around me—the fear, negativity, and doubts—have no power over me. In truth, I am surrounded by the divine light of the Christ. I recognize the dark and negative energy is only a temporary appearance because in truth I am walking in the light. I am reminded of the scripture, “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
When I think of the “Prayer for Protection,” I am reminded of this new perspective that Jesus brought to the world. This prayer is all encompassing and in just a few short lines, it typifies all that God has done, is doing, and will do for everyone.
The Love of God Enfolds Me
When I affirm: The love of God enfolds me, I am comforted in knowing the loving presence and power of God is with me, regardless of what I may be experiencing in the world. People I encounter may disagree with me or may not want me to succeed. However, when I declare this statement from the “Prayer for Protection,” I feel the love, which is the essence of God, in my life, and I realize that “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31).
The Power of God Protects Me
When I affirm: The power of God protects me, I am reminded that in my human self, as a physical being, I have limited power. If I am tempted to rely on my intellect or ego to fight my day-to-day battles, this statement reminds me that I don’t need to fight my own battles. I am reminded that “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Wherever I am, God is
The last two lines of this prayer are powerful. “The presence of God watches over me. Wherever I am, God is.” The presence of God represents the totality of God, the Allness of God, the Allness of Spirit. It gives me a sense of awe to think that the Allness that created the universe is watching over me and everyone else in the world at all times! It is guiding, protecting, and sustaining all of humankind. It is omnipresent in that it is everywhere equally and evenly present. “He will be with you: he will not fail you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
This article first appeared in the Unity booklet The Prayer for Protection: A Beloved Prayer Brought to Life.