Spiritual intuition and protection

THERE are probably few among us who haven't at some time or other longed to feel that through intuition or instinct we could avoid trouble. We aren't alone! From Biblical times to the present, this longing for protection has been a fact of life. It has led people to consult witches, as Saul did at Endor (see I Samuel 28:7), to rely on astrology, to play the odds, or to do a host of other things. Yet can these make us confident of our safety? Not in any genuine, lasting sense.

There is a way, though, to feel and experience true protection. It transcends the limitations of the human mind because it is based on an understanding of God as infinite divine Mind, the source of all intelligence. This way is prayer and trust in God. As the book of Proverbs says: ``Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.''1

If you look in the Bible you'll find ample instances of God's care. David was protected from the attacks of a lion and a bear. Elisha was kept safe from an army sent to capture him. The Way-shower, Christ Jesus, was able to pass through a crowd of people bent on killing him. There is at least one common thread in each case: trust in God. And because the Bible luminaries were accustomed to turning to God, they were also open to the spiritual intuitions that would save them.

We, too, can rely on the spiritual intuitions that come to us from God and His Christ. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, ``Christ is the true idea voicing good, the divine message from God to men speaking to the human consciousness.''2

Sometimes Christ speaks to us through an offhand statement by a friend. Sometimes Christ speaks to our thought directly, either in words or as a feeling. We can be sure it is the work of Christ if the result of our response to it is a healing one -- if, in other words, its message is saving, strengthening, or cheering.

Here's a small example. It was late, and I was working on a project needed at the office the next day. Two butter-rich tortes were baking in the kitchen stove. I had been specifically praying for God's guidance in connection with the work project.

About twenty-five minutes before the tortes were due to come out of the oven, I had a sudden impulsion to check on them. That seemed ridiculous because I knew they couldn't be done, so I ignored the feeling.

Seconds later, the impulsion came again. This time I ``reasoned'' with it, mentally explaining that it really was all right not to check them. But the feeling came a third time, this one more urgent than before.

Shrugging, I went to the oven to find it in flames. Although I have made this recipe many times over the years with no trouble, this time the tortes had cooked over, pouring their batter onto the heating element in the stove. The butter had caught fire.

Fortunately, there was a small fire extinguisher nearby, and it readily enabled me to put out the flames. Because I had checked the oven before the fire had become too intense, no part of the stove was damaged.

Somehow, when I considered how severe the damage might have been, the loss of the two cakes didn't seem like that big a deal. More to the point at the time, however, was the feeling that I had been guided by spiritual intuition from God to check the tortes long before I normally would have.

And I reasoned that if God's guidance would help me with something as simple as the tortes, I could trust His care in the meeting at work the next day. And that proved to be the case. I was able to answer a key question that came up in a way that helped to resolve some mis-understandings.

Because God is Love, we can trust Him to care for us, His children. And we can pray to see more and more of our real spiritual nature, which is inseparable from Him and always cared for. As we do this, we are walking in the footsteps of the great Old Testament prophets, of Christ Jesus, and of the early Christians. We are being guided by Christ, by ``the divine message from God'' to all of us. And this brings about protection.

1Proverbs 3:5, 6. 2Science and Health, p. 332. DAILY BIBLE VERSE: Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25