Dear Lord and Father of us all,
Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind;
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.
The last verse of this hymn (No. 49 in the Christian Science Hymnal) concludes:
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.
It sometimes seems that the many demands of each day would have us rushing here or there with a sense of limited time in an endeavor to accomplish all that is required. But when we consider the infinite rhythm of the universe, we see no such rushing hither and yon. We can see only orderly activity. Peace prevails. Principle governs. Mind is All. Let us pattern our lives after, and live according to, the divine orderliness.
Even though one apparently finds himself surrounded by material activity, he can cling to the facts of the orderly unfoldment of divine Principle and feel the reign of spiritual peace. On an occasion when a Christian Scientist was having extensive decorating done in the home, this orderly unfoldment was demonstrated. Wallpaper was being removed, and painters and other workmen were busy. The family discussed the situation from the standpoint of Christian Science. References to the words "order" and "orderliness" from the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy were studied, and the words of the above-quoted hymn were kept in thought. It was pointed out that the work had been contracted for as a necessary and orderly step inspired by Principle. Therefore it could not be disorderly. As Principle, God, good, governed all concerned, there could be only the presence of order, and it was agreed that no one would talk about disorder or feel disorder. The work was accomplished quickly, and instead of occupying six weeks—a period which had been mentioned several times— it was completed in ten days, and the house was ready for an unexpected opportunity to entertain guests who arrived at that time.
The account of creation in the first chapter of Genesis is a record of orderly unfoldment. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" our beloved Leader, Mrs. Eddy, writes (p. 255), "'Let there be light,' is the perpetual demand of Truth and Love, changing chaos into order and discord into the music of the spheres." Again, on page 390 we read, "It is our ignorance of God, the divine Principle, which produces apparent discord, and the right understanding of Him restores harmony."
When the children of Israel were pursued by the Egyptians, the way was opened for them, even through the Red Sea; when they needed food and water in the wilderness, manna was supplied, and water gushed from the rock. Also, they were healed of serpent bites. Was this disorder? Was a natural order set aside by a miracle? The order of a divinely perfect Principle, God, provides all good for man now and forever. It was orderly and right for the children of Israel to be led, protected, and supplied on their journey out of bondage. Through prayer Moses turned to God and away from the false evidence of a disordered region in which God's children could suffer lack. The spiritual consciousness of God's presence, realized through prayer, established the order of justice, love, and liberation; and the children of Israel were safely guided to the promised land.
Many centuries later Christ Jesus proved that God's care and protection are ever available. He proved the ever-presence of a divine order when he stilled the storm and when he walked on the water. In the latter instance, we read that when the disciples received Jesus into the boat, "immediately the ship was at the land whither they went" (John 6:21). In serving God and doing His work, the Master found and demonstrated a divine orderliness of life governed by Mind and not limited by matter.
Through her great love for God and the spiritual understanding of the Bible, our beloved Leader established Christian Science—the Science, or true knowledge, of the divine order and law of good that supersede any sense of disorder, discord, or inharmony. In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy writes (p. 275), "To grasp the reality and order of being in its Science, you must begin by reckoning God as the divine Principle of all that really is."
God is Mind, Life, Truth, Love, Spirit, Soul, and Principle. These synonyms are interchangeable. The divine order of God, infinite Mind, knows no disordered intelligence. No change comes to divine intelligence because no change comes to Mind, its source and only cause. The one Mind is consistent, confident, wise, is reflected by man, and when understood is seen as governing all men in orderliness and harmony.
Divine Mind governs the seasons in harmony and orderliness, and they cannot change or invade the harmony and orderliness of man's life. It is false belief, false education, and fear that cause excesses in climate and extremes of weather. We must see that existence in its true aspect is spiritual and that the changing seasons can only be sweet periods of refreshment and renewal, untouched by the violent fears of matter.
Divine Life, which is God, is the Life of all. This one Life is orderly, ever active, and not subject to deterioration, stoppage, pressure, or interference. The awareness of this fact sets men free to live orderly lives. The one divine Love knows no frustrated or limited love. Love is as impartial as the sun in its shining or the showers in their raining. To the human consciousness, the orderly unfolding of God as Love heals fear and strife, jealousy and anger. Infinite Spirit knows no obstruction. God, Spirit, is All, and as His ever-presence is demonstrated by humanity, the limitations of matter, such as time and space, cease to dominate daily experience. The awareness of the government of Soul and not of sense brings out purity in all its pristine orderliness. The individual finds expression, illimitable bliss, beauty, and joy in Soul when the true faculties of man as God's image and likeness are realized.
Principle reveals the orderliness of divine Science, the law of God, which is the law of unity and harmony. Principle unites all of the qualities of God and embodies them in man through law and order. Principle in all of its perfection and peace is manifested in man.
The office of man, as found in Christ, is to express the order and harmony of God. Sin, sickness, death, lack, accident, storms, and floods are not of God's making and are no part of His government of the universe. The realization of the divine order puts to silence such disorder. On the occasion of the storm on the sea recorded in Mark's Gospel, Christ Jesus was awakened to the disciples' fear. We read (4:39, 40): "He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?"
Throughout his human life, Christ Jesus demonstrated that true orderliness heralded by the angels at his birth, when they sang (Luke 2:14), "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
It is God's law that the orderliness, harmony, and beauty of our existence should demonstrate the Life that is God.
