At a lecture on Christian Science given in our city some time ago, the lecturer concluded with the simple yet profound advice which Jesus gave to his disciples, "Have faith in God." After listening to his words of assurance as to the nature of God, His omnipotence, ever presence, and infinite goodness, it seemed indeed to be the only reasonable thing to do,— not only to have faith, but more faith than we had ever experienced before. If, as the apostle Paul tells us, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," it is surely a requisite step in our journey toward the promised land of serenity, peace, and understanding.
If we seem to be experiencing a state of unrest, worry, and fear, it is well to ask ourselves what it is that we are having faith in; for surely these conditions are the outcome of having a fear of, or a faith in, something entirely apart from an infinitely good God. On page 253 of Science and Health Mrs. Eddy says, "If you believe in and practise wrong knowingly, you can at once change your course and do right." We know it would be a wrong practice to disobey the First Commandment and have many gods, such as fear, self-will, false pride, and so on; and we do know that it is our privilege to begin to-day to change our course and do right, by acknowledging and having faith in the Lord God omnipotent, whose reign is infinite and ever present. Doubting ones have been heard to say, when speaking of the promises in the Bible or the teachings of Christian Science, "Oh, yes, they all sound very good; but somehow I can't seem to have any faith in them." At the same time these individuals would gladly partake of the blessings that a faith in these realities would surely bring into their experience. The first verse of a loved hymn (Hymnal, p. 195), gently reminds us of a necessary step we perhaps as yet have not taken:—
Why is thy faith, O child of God, so small?
Why doth thy heart shrink back at duty's
call?
Art thou obeying this—"Abide in me."
And doth the Master's word abide in thee?
