Do you wake in the morning with a song in your heart? Is your heart singing right now? How grateful you can be if the answer is "yes." If the answer is "no," don't give up hope.
More than once, Jesus told those he healed to "be of good cheer."See Matt. 9:2; Matt. 14:27; John 16:33. The Greek verb this represents also means to have confidence or courage. It's as if Jesus were saying, "Take heart! Comfort is at hand." How very inspiring it is to study deeply in the Gospels and see how Jesus brought out confidence and courage in others. When two disciples left Jerusalem, the scene of the crucifixion, and walked in deep grief to the village of Emmaus, Jesus met them along the way and asked why they were so sad. Then he rebuked this heavy mesmerism and rekindled their hope, faith, inspiration, and joy by illuminating the prophecies in the Scriptures concerning him.Luke 24:13-35.
In a conversation with his disciples before the crucifixion, Jesus said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."John 16:33. His followers today must heed this command and be of this good cheer, not only for themselves but for others. In a perceptive and prophetic statement of perilous times to come, Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, tells what she expects of Christian Scientists during the final conflict between Truth and error, good and evil: "They will maintain law and order, and cheerfully await the certainty of ultimate perfection."Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 97. Would Jesus—or Mrs. Eddy as a follower of the Master— have asked us to be of good cheer if it were not certain that we could do it and that it would contribute to healing?
