God's Power Is Always at Hand
WHEN I need help or feel overwhelmed by all I don't know, I turn to the Bible. This Book of books comforts me, of course, but it does more than that. It gives me a practical understanding of God's care and love for all of us, His children.
There's an Old Testament story in the Bible, about the prophet Elisha, that I have often read. But one day a small event in my own experience showed me more clearly than ever before what this story, found in Second Kings, is saying about God's help being always at hand. Elisha had gone with some of his followers to a new location. They were cutting wood to build a dwelling place, when the head of one man's ax came off and fell into the water. Worse still, the ax had been borrowed! But Elisha wasn't upset. The Bible account tells us: ``The man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it'' (6:6, 7).
When I had read this earlier, I thought Elisha must have known some law of physics that no one else knew. But as I read the story this time I saw that the truth was Elisha had appealed to a more certain law--the law of God, divine Love. And Elisha received God's answer! I realized that recovering the ax head was not a miracle, but proof of the power of God's harmonious law in action!
My own experience showed me that God's power is ever-present and operative--right at hand for us to call on for help in any need. I had a garment bag that had come away from the hanging hooks that held it on the closet rod. I saw that repairing it would be a simple matter of crimping the straightened wires back together. But when I got the pliers and tried, the task seemed to call for super strength! My best efforts yielded . . . nothing! I simply didn't have the strength to clamp the hooks back in place! Then I remembered Elisha and the ax. God could surely show me what to do now. And I thought of how Christ Jesus had said, ``My Father worketh hitherto, and I work'' (John 5:17). So, I thought to myself, ``I can't do it but God can, and He is the supreme power of the universe!'' I moved the pliers slightly and applied pressure once more. This time I succeeded in clamping the metal pieces firmly together on the framework! The hooks were now in place, and I could hang the garment bag back on the rod. I just stood there thanking God for His wonderful Love that had shown me what to do and given me the strength to do it. It was a small event, but to me, quite memorable!
Mary Baker Eddy, the author of the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, writes in this book: ``Adhesion, cohesion, and attraction are properties of Mind. They belong to divine Principle, and support the equipoise of that thought-force, which launched the earth in its orbit and said to the proud wave, `Thus far and no farther.' '' And she adds in the next paragraph: ``We tread on forces. Withdraw them, and creation must collapse. Human knowledge calls them forces of matter; but divine Science declares that they belong wholly to divine Mind, are inherent in this Mind, and so restores them to their rightful home and classification'' (p. 124).
I've never forgotten this proof that when we depend on the strength God gives, there are no limits to what we can accomplish. God is the only power of the universe, and He gives us all the strength we need. When we humbly listen to God, we get very practical guidance. Christ Jesus, our Way-shower, acted totally from the strength of his faith in God's all-power, and his wonderful healing works are an example for us to follow.
When I worked from the strength of recognizing God's all-power, I could get the job done! It's so liberating to know that God is always supporting us in all our right endeavors! We can meet any challenge, tackle any job, however large, however small, knowing that our loving Father-Mother God is the governing power, ever present to show us the way!