No one is outside God’s guidance
There is an adage, “When it rains, it pours.” Most of us have experienced times in our lives when problems confronting us seem overwhelming and we question our ability to overcome them. Yet God promises that, even in difficult situations, He will be there to save and protect. The Bible reads: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:2, 3, New Living Translation). Receptivity to good as well as the desire to bless opens the way to hear the ideas needed to solve problems and feel God’s guidance.
Each one of us as children of God has that innate receptivity to the ideas that lead us to right solutions. God is the only creator of man, and guides, guards, and supplies each of His children with all they need. As Spirit, God, is infinite, meaning everywhere, no one is ever outside His care.
One of my favorite examples of trust in God is the story of Abraham. He felt divinely led to leave his homeland and seek a better life. The Bible makes plain that he didn’t know what he would be facing, but Abraham trusted that God would provide for him and his family. This story as recounted in the book of Genesis shows God’s provision for Abraham in difficult situations, and it shows how Abraham became a man of substance and means through his trust in God. Abraham’s fidelity and receptivity to God’s direction brought health and safety to him and his family.
Those seeking security for themselves and their families, as well as useful employment and home, can also find answers and healing today – whether we are encountering a life transition, or we are fleeing a country for safety. Like Abraham, we have God, Spirit, to guide and protect us, and lead us to find peace and security. Sincere seekers of truth have felt His guidance through the ideas that He provides. In my own experience, this sense of inseparability from God, and the recognition that God is caring for us, has helped me overcome fear, lack, loneliness, and unemployment among other challenges.
At one time I found myself laid off at a time when my job was the principle source of income for my family. We had no one to turn to for help. As a Christian Scientist, I was accustomed to turning to God in times of trouble, and I knew that God would lead me to answers that would meet our needs.
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes: “God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies. Never ask for to-morrow: it is enough that divine Love is an ever-present help; and if you wait, never doubting, you will have all you need every moment. What a glorious inheritance is given to us through the understanding of omnipresent Love! More we cannot ask: more we do not want: more we cannot have. This sweet assurance is the ‘Peace, be still’ to all human fears, to suffering of every sort” (“Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896,” p. 307).
Instead of giving in to the fear of lack and uncertainty, I trusted that God would have ideas for me. As I read over job postings, I felt a clear compulsion to call one company in particular. This business wanted me to start work immediately, and the job paid enough to meet our family’s needs. I also found new ways to cook the store of food in my pantry and found I didn’t need to shop much for food. These steps met our needs until I was unexpectedly called back to my previous job a few months later.
As my trust in God’s goodness has grown, so too have the ways good has appeared in my life. Trusting in God brings aid to all those seeking good, since God is no respecter of persons. “God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right” (Acts 10:34, 35, New Living Translation). God is still here guiding everyone to the ideas needed to secure all we need.
