THE Scriptures contain many instances in which God speaks directly to men, giving them messages important for their guidance. Noah was counseled to build an ark to save his family from the impending flood. Abram was told to seek out a new geographic area and was promised that he would become the father of a great nation. Joseph was told what he should say in the interpretation of dreams.
The prophets and other spiritually-minded individuals talked with God as if He were a man. The Old Testament might almost lead one to conclude that God is a personality with speech capacities such as human beings possess. But a progressively higher developed concept of God is found as the Bible narratives unfold. God is presented by inspired writers as Spirit, Truth, Life, and Love. Christian Science envisions Him also as Principle, Mind, and Soul.
God unceasingly talks to His creation. He communicates in a manner that can be understood and acted upon by those who are spiritually attuned to Him. God voices reality—man's spirituality, perfection, and harmony. He affirms what man's real nature and purpose are. And what He gives to human consciousness of reality may rightly be interpreted as requiring specific, intelligent human action.
Moses, during his forty years as a fugitive from Pharaoh, tended the sheep of his father-in-law near Horeb. He doubtless became increasingly close to God during that time. He was, therefore, attentive and obedient when he was told by God to go and bring the Israelites out of enslavement in Egypt. From the depths of his spirituality, he interpreted God's gift of freedom to man as applying to the enslaved Israelites, and he acted upon it.
Later, on numerous occasions, Moses listened for God's spiritual instructions and interpreted them correctly. For example, after he threw down his rod and saw it become a serpent, he on God's order took the serpent by its tail, whereupon it became a staff in his hand. God then impelled him to put his hand into his bosom and then take it out. His hand was leprous. He repeated the act, and the leprosy was cured. Of this occurrence, Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health (p. 321), "God had lessened Moses' fear by this proof in divine Science, and the inward voice became to him the voice of God, which said: 'It shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.'"
It is of value for us to know that God is speaking to us always. He speaks of our complete perfection as the expression of God, of our infinite security in Him, of the perfect harmony, health, and wisdom with which He endows His ideas. God does not know a restricted, frustrated, sick, sinning, or dying mortal; hence He does not voice or manifest such erroneous conditions. He knows man to be His own exact image. He knows all of us as totally and eternally perfect. In order that we may demonstrate the truth of what He is eternally affirming, we must understand and agree with what He is saying and reject all error.
The higher one goes spiritually through the study of Christian Science, the more clearly he is able to put into human language and action what God is voicing of Himself and His universe. The spiritual senses must be constantly sharpened through study and prayer if one would grow in the ability to hear and respond to the ever-expressed divine will of God.
One who is afflicted may cry out to God for help, earnestly craving to hear the healing Word of Truth. God will surely answer this call for aid. As the spiritually inclined individual listens for God's voice, he will hear Him assuring him of His allness and of man's likeness to Him; of man's perfect spiritual health and harmony; and of the fact that since health is a changeless condition, nothing can mar man's perfection.
The ailing one may well be so receptive to His Word that he says, "I am well, and I know it, for 'thus saith the Lord.'"
When one says, "I am well," he is interpreting correctly what God is always saying of man. We have the right and the responsibility to interpret correctly and to accept at full value what God is forever saying of our true nature as His perfect reflection.
A woman was suddenly stricken with a painful condition in her leg, and her body became extremely cold and numb. She was fearful that she might pass on and was greatly troubled about what would happen to her dependent daughter if she did. Error suggested that she might have recourse to a heat treatment that her sister had spoken of and had used many years before.
Then because this woman was a devoted Christian Scientist, she cried out to God declaring that she did not want to use any material method. Her consciousness now receptive, she let God talk to her of perfect health. She correctly interpreted what He is always saying of us all, and her mental agreement with it brought an immediate response. All pain and fear ceased immediately. She said she felt as if she had suddenly been wrapped up in a warm electric blanket. She was healed.
We should be careful not to underestimate what God is always saying of us. God says we are His ideas—free, complete, good, intelligent, active. We should accept without reservation what He says of our true Christly nature. Our freedom results from unqualified agreement with His appraisal of us.
King Hezekiah and his prophet, it would seem, underinterpreted what God was saying of man. We are told in II Kings that Hezekiah was sick and about to die. The king faced the wall and prayed. What was God actually affirming of Hezekiah's true nature? Was He not asserting the perfection and eternality of every individual idea included in His creation? But this is the way God's Word was interpreted by the prophet Isaiah in this instance (II Kings 20:5, 6): "Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee. ... I will add unto thy days fifteen years."
It is clear that God did not set a limit of fifteen years for Hezekiah. God promises eternality. Human consciousness, not yet raised to the acknowledgment of interminable being, underinterpreted what God said and believed that God was promising a limited number of years.
In the Gospels, we have the superb example of Christ Jesus, who was in constant communion with God. Jesus spoke in terms of eternal Life because God could not assert anything less than permanency. His healing work was outstanding, for he took God at His full word. So we must accept God's maximum statement of immortal being. Since He declares we are perfect and eternal, we must hold to that truth and be unwilling to settle for anything less. As we persist in holding to perfection as God decrees it, our human lives will reflect our spiritual knowing. Mrs. Eddy urges (Science and Health, p. 261), "Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts."
We must allow our spiritual senses to interpret fully and correctly what God is always saying to us and of us. As we listen carefully we shall hear, "Thou art My beloved expression, perfect, harmonious, good, eternal." And as we accept what we hear, we shall reap the practical benefits in our lives of God's declaration of true being.
