Ever-present shelter
A SHADE tree lends a pleasant ambiance to a sweltering afternoon. But this welcome refreshment only slightly hints at the healing refuge and invulnerable shelter to be found under God's government. Deliverance from sin, pain, and disorder of every kind belongs to those who consciously stay close to God by living in accord with His law. The ninety-first Psalm promises, ``He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.''1 Surely the psalm doesn't mean that God, incorporeal Spirit, literally casts a shadow or that man created in His likeness is separated from Him! As the spiritual idea of God, our true being has always dwelt within the perfect Mind and has therefore never been exposed to material or evil elements. That God forever provides the comforting protection poetically symbolized by a shadow is not inconsistent with His constant spiritual warmth and light. The book of Psalms says that God ``is a sun and shield.''2
Ever-present Spirit, being wholly good, includes all of the benefits generally attributed to nature and none of the drawbacks. Unlike the sometimes disastrous effects of so-called natural law, the immediate and long-range effects of divine law are always supportive of harmony. Divine law, understood, protects us from the suffering that is implicit in the theory that past and present exposure to solar rays can be harmful.
The healing works of Christ Jesus and his disciples illustrate this divine law, which all can begin to understand and practice. Christian Science, God's revelation of that law, enables us increasingly to express our unblemished identity, which is always safely sheltered in divine Spirit. Into the divine omnipresence nothing hurtful could enter.
Nature, which appears to include harmful as well as helpful elements, may seem to surround us. But a higher, spiritual sense of life shows us that in truth we are encompassed by divine Love. In this realization we find that we can prove our freedom from any supposed liability to bad causes or effects. The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, writes, ``Man's refuge is in spirituality, `under the shadow of the Almighty.'''3
The truth of this statement was brought home to me when an unsightly growth appeared on my arm after a heavy sunburn. For several years the growth slowly enlarged and changed in appearance. I continued to pray, striving to spiritualize my thought and life by applying the teachings of Christian Science. Gradually I became aware that in my genuine character as God's man I had never left His sheltering care. Our true selfhood has never been exposed to the hazards of a material environment. The divine allness precludes the possibility of evil mingling or coexisting with good.
I endeavored to carry these truths in my heart until I understood in some degree that they were eternal realities, revealing that I had always dwelt in the safety of God's presence. During that period of spiritual renewal the growth disappeared.
Through Christian Science, all can find fulfillment of the divine assurance ``I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand.''4 Knowing that we are cherished by our heavenly Father-Mother inspires us to watch and pray to know and express His pure nature better. Living in accord with divine law makes us conscious of God's ever-presence and therefore frees us from believing that we could ever be endangered or damaged by solar rays. Healing and protection are the certain effects of realizing that we can never be outside His presence. Indeed, there can be no outside to that which is All.
1Psalms 91:1. 2Psalms 84:11. 3Unity of Good, p. 57. 4Isaiah 51:16.
You can find more articles like this one in the Christian Science Sentinel, a weekly magazine. DAILY BIBLE VERSE: Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25