"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
I have been reflecting on healing messages in some depth. Mainly, in the past, when troubled by a problem, I have turned to The Bible, or Science and Health, or the lesson and a clearly relevant passage would stand out to me and this would result in a healing solution. Or quite often a line from a hymn would come into my thought equally blessing me. But I have sometimes worried, what will happen if I can't read or remember relevant texts.
Somehow, I didn't attribute these revelations directly to God, but more to my expectations from understanding that I reflect God as spiritual, not material. And yet I have always been impressed with the idea of God as a Shepherd, who naturally knows His sheep individually. In Matt 10:29-31 Jesus says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."
However I still had not actually, consciously, thought of direct communication from God to me personally. Nor had I thought specifically, 'I will pray to God'-- even though I have sought healing and assistance through Christian Science throughout my life. This must sound contradictory, but I didn't seem to have joined up the dots!
I've started to notice increasingly, how some Christian Scientists naturally, tend to address God directly in prayer. Following reading an experience related by Fenella on JSH-Online, which subsequently reminded me of an experience of my own, I have begun to feel more directly close to God.
I read Fenella’s blog, "Safe beneath Love's sky" (Journal July, 5th, 2013 / Blogs / Practice Practice Practice / Blog Post) where she said she had driven up her favourite hill in spring, when she heard "as if ... spoken aloud the words, 'Get off the hill fast!'" She heard the words twice, in quick succession. She obeyed and looked back to see lightning hit the exact spot where she had been. I found it so inspiring and encouraging to hear of such a specific, direct, unquestionable Father- Mothering communication.
It then reminded me of an experience on a Sunday morning decades ago, when I was trapped at home – being strangled and smothered by an aggressor. I could not physically escape and could not breathe. In desperation I pleaded silently, "God, please help me." For a split second his hands relaxed, and I ran outside where I was visible to my neighbour and safe. Many weeks later, when my mother was visiting she asked me whether anything had happened to me on
that Sunday morning, because she was just due to read at her church, sitting waiting to start, when she had a feeling that something was seriously wrong. Mum had no idea what, but earnestly prayed. How grateful and impressed I still am, to think back to that experience.
For decades I didn’t even acknowledge to myself how this experience could have happened! People have tried to suggest this was just because mothers have a special tie to their children. Somehow I did not really consider it as a direct Father-Mother God message. But after Fenella's experience of hearing distinct appropriate words directing her, and reflecting on this experience of my own, I have begun to think differently. Although there are so many references which refer to God's specific healing messages coming directly to individuals, the idea of God's knowledge of and care for every one of his children (as every one of his sheep or sparrows) just hadn't occurred to me in that way. I am so grateful to be able to accept and rejoice in this progress.
This has also led me to reflect that today we are able to contact individuals directly through mobile phones and email – the systems accredited with being aware of individuals' locations. Yet again this has opened my thought to accept that God has always known who and where each and everyone of us is – Father-Mothering us all – all the time. It doesn’t matter whether there is a provider's mast or wifi device nearby, or even if our battery has run down!
You might well wonder how I could have missed the point for so long!