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Certainty of purpose
Wouldn't you be eager to learn more about God if you found that a spiritual understanding of Him reveals His plan for you? As God is infinite, ever-present good, His design for you is inexhaustibly good. Cherishing your relation to God brings His purpose for you to light as certainly as it gives clear direction to thought and action.
You may remember how Paul in the Bible trusted God and God's purpose for him. In the New Testament we read about the sea journey Paul made as a prisoner of Rome (see Acts, chap. 27). The ship was sailing from Crete to Rome when suddenly a storm came up. The other passengers feared the ship would rip apart, but Paul knew that they would reach their destination. He got up and told his fellow travelers:" ... be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you .... For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Cæsar" (verses 22–24). Even though the vessel was thrown aground and was "broken with the violence of the waves ... it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land" (verses 41, 44).
Where did Paul's confidence that he would arrive at his destination come from? It came directly from God. Paul, a follower of Christ Jesus, must have known that stormy seas, fear, and human will can't interfere with God's purpose for man. He must have known that God's will blesses one and all.
In the Scriptures we read that man is made in God's image and likeness. God's daughters and sons, then, are the very expression of God, of good. They're His blessed, spiritual offspring. As such they glorify Him and are in harmony with His design. In the book of Isaiah, God declares, "I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him" (43:6, 7).
A study of the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy, reveals the purpose of man to express God's nature. We see our purpose clearly and fulfill it as we use every opportunity that presents itself to express such Godlike qualities as alertness, honesty, poise, intelligence, love, and strength. These qualities, steadily put into practice, reveal the tangible presence of infinite harmony. We feel more peace and dominion. This is the result of spiritual growth, which leads naturally to success in our activities—be it in school or on the job. The torment of uncertainty and fear of failure disappear.
Anxiety and doubt are impositions obscuring our view of God's purpose for us. They have no genuine power, and they are no part of man's true nature. Therefore, they can and should be rejected as lies. Such feelings merely call attention to the presence of spiritual solutions. They make it a necessity to be on the lookout for the good that flows from the source of all good—God.
If we're uncertain about the outcome of an examination, a relationship, an interview, or job prospects, we can be fearless, because we know that God is not uncertain and neither is His expression, man. God is divine Mind, the source of all wisdom, love, and harmony. As Mind's idea, man includes these qualities. Therefore we always have the opportunity and ability to express them. To do this is, in the most basic sense, God's purpose for man.
God is ever with us. He cares for and provides for us. Mind never overlooks or forgets one of its ideas. And a recognition of this fact invigorates us with confidence.
Even with all the hostile circumstances surrounding Paul's trip—having been taken prisoner, shipwrecked, bitten by a venomous snake, and so on—he must have known that unflinching trust in and obedience to God and His angel messages was the safest, wisest way to proceed. Divine wisdom is never mistaken. Paul's deep trust in God had been enabling him to carry out God's purpose for him—to introduce Christianity to new parts of the world. He said, "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28).
First the fear and then the pain disappeared. When I arrived at my destination, I left the plane with two normal hands. I should add, I had never enjoyed a flight as much as this one. As I exited, the steward at the door mentioned that it was the smoothest flight he could remember.Years ago I felt as certain about the purpose of a journey I had embarked on as Paul must have. ...... A day or two before leaving home, I scratched my hand badly while working outside. Shortly before boarding the plane (with the prospect of a twelve-hour flight without stops), I had excruciating pain, and my hand and arm showed alarming signs suggesting blood poisoning. Not being sure how I would manage under the circumstances, I prayed to silence fear. In humility, I listened to divine wisdom's guidance. Immediately I could see the purpose of my trip was completely Mind-directed. Affirming divine Mind's ever-presence, I realized that the physical symptoms couldn't be beyond Mind's control or exceed Mind's infinite power. With this definite stand, I also saw the all-inclusiveness of infinite good and the divine will encompassing the plane and my fellow passengers.
Our success in healing and in all endeavors rests in the certainty that God is our Mind, the only Mind we have, and that He is guiding us. Sometimes we might feel discouraged. But as we hold to the conviction that divine Mind is All and that prayer brings clarity of thought and freedom from worry, we see God's purpose for us unfold.
Christ Jesus had a keen awareness of his unity with God, the divine Mind, and this left no room for hesitation or uncertainty. It enabled him spontaneously to perform mighty healing works and to fulfill his God-bestowed purpose for humanity. He demonstrated the prophet's words "For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?" (Isa. 14:27).
A willingness to listen to and follow God alone dissolves doubt and naturally brings focus to thought and experience. Mrs. Eddy gives us these inspiring words: "Spirit, God, gathers unformed thoughts into their proper channels, and unfolds these thoughts, even as He opens the petals of a holy purpose in order that the purpose may appear" (Science and Health, p. 506). To be aware of God's purpose for you is to leave behind the limited, material sense of things for the spiritual, and to magnify divine Mind's goodness and power.
Blessed, Thine
I am gratefully pondering good today,
Considering how You, dear source above,
Enrich me, that I may
Know my being deep in Your love.
Revealed as the image of Truth divine,
I behold through healing staff and rod
That I am blessed, blessed,
Blessed, Thine.
Considering how You, dear source above,
Enrich me, that I may
Know my being deep in Your love.
Revealed as the image of Truth divine,
I behold through healing staff and rod
That I am blessed, blessed,
Blessed, Thine.
From the June 20, 1994 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel
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