Order is one of the most striking things about our universe. Every planet keeps its place and revolves in its appointed orbit. And in mathematics every number maintains its individual identity in perfect harmony, never jostling, never pushing, never eagerly seeking another number's place.
In the Bible we often find praise for the natural order and for the divine wisdom which framed and which regulates that order. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, also has a great deal to say about the essential rightness of the divine plan. On page 240 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" she says, "Nature voices natural, spiritual law and divine Love, but human belief misinterprets nature." Farther on she adds, "In the order of Science, in which the Principle is above what it reflects, all is one grand concord."
A dictionary definition of the word "plan" reads in part, "method or scheme of action; a way proposed to carry out a design." It is inconceivable that God, infinite Mind, could haphazardly leave gaps or overlappings in His design or fail to execute any part of it. Therefore it becomes obvious that each of His spiritual ideas has a place to fill, a function to perform. Not one of God's ideas is merely ornamental or expendable. Each of us is, in truth, vitally necessary to the completeness of the universe, and our being and actions are important to the whole.
Men, women, and children are called upon daily to make decisions and plans for their various activities. On all sides there is talk of planning: government programs, architectural designs, business expansion, office routine, household duties, a party or a trip, homework for the student. Human belief often goes sadly astray when it attempts to plan human affairs without turning to God, the infinite intelligence, which does all planning rightly.
Efficient planning is needed to save a busy world from chaos, yet how often are we confronted with the evidences of inefficient planning or of no planning at all: lack of time, cumbrous red tape, blundering miscalculation, or a mad scramble at the last minute. Such a situation plainly results from the mistaken belief that there is authority apart from God, that some of it is vested in fate, circumstance, or minor powers, named mortal minds, which often conflict with each other and which are not always impelled by wholesome motives. This mistaken belief violates the First Commandment (Ex. 20:3), "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," and soon leads to all sorts of inharmonious conditions.
How can one correct these discordant conditions or prevent their occurrence in the first place? By lifting his consciousness in prayer to perceive the eternal laws which govern the natural, spiritual order and concord of the divine plan. Mrs. Eddy tells us in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 198), "All suffering is the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of both good and evil; of adherence to the 'doubleminded' senses, to some belief, fear, theory, or bad deed, based on physical material law, so-called as opposed to good,—all of which is corrected alone by Science, divine Principle, and its spiritual laws."
These spiritual laws—harmony, balance, continuity, coherence, proportion, and coordination, to name a few—proceed from the infinite Principle, God. When applied to our everyday affairs, they can help us to devise and execute every kind of right plan, whether it be the designing of a new engine, the sculpturing of a statue, or the placement of personnel in a business organization. Applying these spiritual laws enables us to plan scientifically. Scientific planning must not be confused with mere human outlining, however. True scientific planning means turning prayerfully to the divine Mind to learn more about God's eternal laws when we are making decisions or drafting new projects.
When we do this, we are no longer at the mercy of uninformed judgment or of human will. When we let human will do our planning for us, we soon get into trouble, for this will is subject to all sorts of unreliable impulses. Discerning the natural, spiritual law and order, however, eliminates mistakes and enables us to act with insight and foresight.
Right, scientific planning also delivers us from undue preoccupation with mere order and method for their own sake. Order and method are certainly important, but they are means to an end, not ends in themselves. Who has not seen the results of a narrow attention to petty detail or a costly refusal to depart from an established routine? The order and method by which God's law operates may not always fit our preconceived notions, but as we drop human will, the thoroughness, practicality, and rightness of that method are made clear to us.
The comfort of real security follows as we prove that each spiritual idea has its place and function in the divine design. Error would argue that God made us mortal and that there is no particular reason for our being. It whispers to some of us that there is no demand for our services, that we have nothing to offer, that there is no room for us, or that we are not loved. These are patent falsehoods. How absurd to imagine that the eternal Mind could make the mistake of creating imperfect ideas, for which there is no particular purpose and no use!
The Bible is full of beautiful and often poetic references to God's tender care of His children. Christ Jesus taught his disciples (Luke 12:6, 7): "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows."
Our understanding of the proven fact that we are necessary as part of the eternal plan not only imparts a sense of security but corrects mistaken estimates of ourselves as well. We can rest assured that there is indeed a demand for our services, our abilities, and our love. By our firm adherence to this truth and vigorous denial of the error that would say otherwise, this demand will become evident in a way that will meet our present need.
Scientific planning based upon a clear understanding of Principle, God, and of man's relationship to Him is one of the great needs of today. In the home such planning leads to peace; in school, to greater accomplishment; in engineering, to greater efficiency; in art, to beauty; in business, to greater productivity and better management; in society it lessens tensions and leads to better relationships; in government it tends to do away with artificial regulation and misguided social or economic plans. In every sphere, it blesses.
The constant striving to perceive ever more clearly the grand concord of the true universe and the divine laws which govern it will progressively mold our lives and characters into patterns of ideal beauty, harmony, serenity, and balance. Living according to Love's design ensures smooth progress without wrenching changes.
The spiritual economy is superbly planned. In it there is plenty of room for the unfoldment of each idea. There is no struggle for subsistence or for recognition, for power or preferment in the unfoldment of God's plan. All ideas are supported and sustained by the Mind which formed them, and each is valued for its own unique being.
In the ratio that we recognize man's true relationship to divine Mind and humbly follow God's plan instead of what we had thought was our own, we shall achieve the rewards of successful enterprise without the mistakes and obstacles of false, human planning.
As the Bible says (Lev. 26:3-5, 9): "If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. . . . For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you."
