Divine Love constantly loves and blesses its creation. And because of this, there isn’t a moment when we are without the inspiration and direction needed to solve a problem. We don’t have to call God into action on our behalf so much as listen for the direction that God, divine Love, provides.
In “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” Mary Baker Eddy writes, “The ‘divine ear’ is not an auditory nerve. It is the all-hearing and all-knowing Mind, to whom each need of man is always known and by whom it will be supplied” (p. 7).
But what if we’re in a situation where an immediate solution is needed, and it seems as though there’s no time to work things out? It’s a good thing that Love’s care is constant, right at hand.
As we are receptive to Love’s direction, we can respond to what we might call “spiritual hunches.” Science and Health calls these, “Angels. God’s thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality” (p. 581). By listening to angels, we have opportunities to experience how Love harmonizes a situation.
One Sunday morning my son and I were starting a cross-country drive to my next military assignment. We had packed carefully, checked the car, and were expecting a safe trip. However, shortly after we left, the car began to overheat, and we were on the freeway in an area with no place to pull off. I said to my son, “Mark, we need a right idea.” I meant that we needed to listen for the right idea, straight from God, that would put us on the right track. In no time we saw an off-ramp leading to a residential area. As we stopped at an intersection, it came to me clearly, as if I’d been spoken to, “Turn left.” This led to a place where we could pull over. By then, the engine was steaming.
As I was checking under the hood, a man came out of a house across the street. He offered to bring us water for the engine and then told us that there was an auto parts store down the street that opened at 9 a.m. (It was 8:45.) At the auto parts store we were able to buy a part, then easily fix the car, and we were soon on our way.
Later, I recalled how urgent our situation had seemed. Yet every part of the solution was right at hand: the freeway exit, the idea to turn left, a place to park, the kind man who gave us needed information, and an auto parts store open on a Sunday morning.
Science and Health states, “Whatever is governed by God, is never for an instant deprived of the light and might of intelligence and Life” (p. 215). Our part is maintaining a spiritual awareness, a humble listening. Christ Jesus says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). As we follow God, there is great comfort in knowing we are doing what God wants us to do. We can expect that we will have whatever is needed.
Originally published in the December 2022 issue of The Christian Science Journal.
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