Do you know God?

A spiritual look at issues of interest to young people

Some friends of mine shared what it is they know about God that helps them a lot.

"He doesn't make anything that can hurt you," said Sarah, who is 7. "When I have something that hurts a lot, I think about God, and He makes it not hurt anymore. He heals me."

Sarah got kicked in the knee playing soccer at camp. It hurt a lot, but she was sure God could help. "God healed me, and I was OK," she told me.

Matthew is 9. "God is Love," he said. "I just can't stop thinking about that. At camp I helped a friend. He was homesick. I told him, 'God is Love, and nothing can hurt you.' In a few minutes he said he was healed, and he said, 'Thank you for telling me God is Love.' "

"God protects me with His love, so there is nothing that can hurt me," said Alex, who's 10. She had warts on her feet. And other kids laughed at her.

Every day, Alex thought, "I have no reason to have warts. God is protecting me from this." Then, she said, "I prayed about this for three days, and the warts were gone."

You can know God, too. You can talk to Him and listen for His messages to you. He'll tell you how safe you are. How much He loves you. And how to be good. This can heal you.

You might be asking, "Where is God? I can't see Him." God is really everywhere, but you can't see Him because He is Spirit. He doesn't have a body to keep Him in one place at a time. Although you can't see Him, you can hear Him talk to you in your thoughts. You can feel His love for you.

God really wants you to know Him. After all, He made you. He is your Father-Mother. The Bible says that God promised to put His "law" inside us and to write it in our "hearts" (our thoughts). So that it's really a part of us. His law is what is true about Him. God said, "They shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them" (Jer. 31:33, 34). That means everyone can know God. No matter what age you are, or what language you speak, or where you live.

Do you want to know God better? You can ask Him to show you about Himself. And He will. You can also read the Bible. The book of Psalms tells lots of things about God. And you can read Bible stories that tell how God has helped people know Him. You can read how He helped them find food in the desert, be safe in storms, win battles, and much more. Churches and Sunday Schools are good places to find out more. A book I like by Mary Baker Eddy tells lots about the Bible. It's called "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." It has one sentence you might like to think about and remember: "God is everywhere, and nothing apart from Him is present or has power" (pg. 473).

When you know God, you know He loves you. You trust Him to take care of you - just like He takes care of Sarah, Matthew, and Alex. And then you aren't worried or afraid. You can ask Him for help, and then, if you listen, you'll hear the answers He puts in your thought, which show you what to do. They show you how to help other people. Show you how to do better at sports, or playing the drums, or painting. Help you understand how to do your schoolwork.

Because God's answers show that you really are perfect - because He made you perfect, just like He is perfect - they can heal you. There's nothing good that God can't do!

Get to know God and see what it's like to feel you have an always and forever Father. Mother. Brother. Sister. And BEST FRIEND. Remember what my friend Matthew said: "God is Love." That's worth knowing about!

Have no fear, for I am with you; be not afraid, for I am your God. I shall strengthen you and give you help and uphold you with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 The Revised English Bible

What is it about God that helps you a lot? We'd like to know. You can e-mail us: jshwrite@csps.com Or you can write to us: Monitor Article on Christian Science, One Norway Street, C42, Boston, MA, 02115-3122.

(c) Copyright 1999. The Christian Science Publishing Society