Divine Love Brings Deliverance
KNOWING that God is divine Love can be vital when an ugly ordeal threatens your peace. At the point of urgent need, we are forced to turn to a power beyond ourselves for help. That may be the very point at which we discover that spiritual insights-the insights coming directly from God-can bring deliverance from difficult trials, however painful.
People today are turning to God and finding both mercy and deliverance. Not long ago, a man who had been sued unjustly was summoned to appear in court. The man remembered how the lawyer for the plaintiff had grilled him unmercifully. He dreaded another such ordeal. He realized this predicament required prayer. The man, a Christian Scientist, accepted this as an opportunity to experience divine Love's deliverance. He had already found that prayer was successful in delivering him from physical problems-a longtime infection, headaches, and cluster warts on one hand had all been healed. He knew that God's love could resolve this legal crisis.
His primary effort was to be delivered from fear. He knew that such a release comes through understanding spiritual facts-that God is limitless Spirit, the only real power; that He is the only Mind, the benevolent intelligence that blesses the individual who appeals to it and obeys. The man reminded himself that God is constantly present and is Love-the Love that destroys human fear. As the date for the court appearance drew nearer, the man resolved to prove his trust in divine Love by being more patient and more attentive to others' needs.
As the man prayed, he began to see that injustice is actually impossible, because evil in any form is a misconception, no part of God or His creation. God doesn't create or know anything but good. Understanding this basic, spiritual fact wiped out the man's fear. He realized he had a right to experience freedom from unfairness, just as he had found freedom from illness. He realized that God's supremacy, and his own unity with God, allowed him to prove the truth of the Psalmist's words "The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth" (Psalms 145:18).
With the assurance of God's deliverance, he felt utterly free. At the court date, the judge conducted the session in a professional manner. He was thorough in obtaining the facts from the lawyers. There was no painful inquisition, and the man was exonerated. The judge's decision was a just one.
When Christ Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate, he said, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above" (John 19:11). Jesus was certain of God's power to deliver mankind from trouble. To him, God was All. He was Love. He could be relied on totally for freedom from evil-from disease, grief, mental turmoil, poverty, or sin.
It's important to note that when one individual sees proof in his or her life that God delivers us from evil, everyone benefits. Whoever understands that evil has no power anywhere, at any time, will contribute to the welfare of others in small and large ways. This understanding can even contribute to the effectiveness of international justice, and it can diminish corruption in the courts.
Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, proved that divine Love does save us from evil. In fact, her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures contains this promising statement: "Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need" (p. 494). To understand this fact is to understand the power of the Christ, which acts to restore and redeem us.
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Psalms 91:3, 4
