Articles

Can we actually hear God’s voice? We read in the Bible how God communicated directly to Moses, Abraham, David, and the prophets. Christian healer Mary Baker Eddy said we can hear God, too.

One evening I was driving home from work and got pulled over for speeding. While I was waiting for the police officer to give me a ticket, I prayed.

In the book of Acts we read, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them” ( 16:25 ). Paul and Silas had been beaten and thrown in prison, and had their feet bound in the stocks, and yet they continued to glorify God in songs and prayer.

Like the disciples in the Bible, many of us may find it tempting, when discouraged, to go back to old ways of thinking and acting. And if we revert to those familiar ways, we may find we come up empty, as some of Christ Jesus’ disciples did after one long, fruitless night fishing near the end of their three years with him.

I’ve been asked before why a student of Christian Science would choose prayer to resolve an issue when a simple medical procedure or treatment is available. Of course, the answer to that will always be individual, but for many folks part of it may have to do with the ultimate goal, what they’re really after.

Christ Jesus instructed his followers: “When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” ( Matthew 6:6 ). Jesus then gave what is well-known to Christians as the Lord’s Prayer.

Over the years I have loved pondering the following verse from the Bible: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” ( James 1:17 ). This verse describes so beautifully God’s unchanging, eternal love, which is impartially poured over all His creation.

The Bible tells us that God is Spirit and perfect and that man (everyone) is made in God’s image and likeness. Jesus said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” ( Matthew 5:48 ).

You, who have stepped into the wilderness— “loneliness; doubt; darkness”  1 — before your foot moved to start the journey, angels came. Like the angel touched Elijah’s shoulder, as he tried to sleep away his trouble alone under a desert tree, and commanded him, “Rise up and eat,” so you are told, “Rise up, eat.

There was a time when I could not find a good job. I felt I knew exactly what the perfect job would be, but I was unable to get it.