Can You Trust?

PEOPLE often disappoint us. They may be people vested with authority, such as political or religious leaders, members of our family, or even dear friends. Sometimes we feel so let down that our faith in humanity is shaken. When this has happened to me, I've turned to the Scriptures for reassurance that trust is possible. And time and again I've been reminded to place my trust in God. Jeremiah's words reinforce this message of trust in God: ``Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.''1

It doesn't always seem easy to trust in divine Spirit, however. We have a tendency to depend on what we can see physically. Perhaps we have come to know people who, to all appearances, are honorable and wise. We may increasingly turn to them for guidance only to find later that either we've misjudged them or they've misled us.

To ground our trust more solidly we need to look higher. We need to look to God, the source of all good.

The teachings of Christian Science are based on the Bible, which reveals God as divine, unchanging Principle. Deity is eternal Truth and omniscient Mind. This divine Spirit, God, is incorporeal, yet more solid than granite cliffs and nearer than the air we breathe.

Understanding God in this way helps to awaken us to our true, incorporeal identity as His spiritual creation. We may all have progress to make in discerning and living man's Godlikenesss, but as we learn to rely on God we'll find that we're better able to express such God-derived qualities as intelligence, integrity, and reliability.

How can we know more of the power of divine Spirit? Through silent, heartfelt prayer. This is more than the repetition of familiar words. It's reaching out to God mentally, in reverent humility. Our desire to understand Deity as unfailing Principle and omnipotent Love is invariably rewarded. In the sanctuary of prayer, God reveals Himself.

Many times it has been heartening to me to think of how Christ Jesus, the master Christian, turned wholeheartedly to God when people disappointed him. Most poignant is the account of Jesus' struggle at Gethsemane, as he prepared to face the crucifixion.

On that occasion, as he regularly did, Jesus turned to God in consecrated prayer. He had also asked three of his disciples to pray with him. But they were soon overcome by sleep. At that point Jesus had no choice but to lean solely on divine Spirit, and he received the comfort and strength he needed.2

Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, refers to this incident in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Of the disciples she writes, ``Could they not watch with him who, waiting and struggling in voiceless agony, held uncomplaining guard over a world? There was no response to that human yearning, and so Jesus turned forever away from earth to heaven, from sense to Soul.''3

None of us will ever face the persecution that Jesus faced. Yet in small ways we have a similar path to travel. Like the Master we can learn -- in the midst of trials and human failings -- to lean unreservedly on divine Spirit. And we find that we can always trust God.

1Jeremiah 17:7. 2See Matthew 26:36-45. 3Science and Health, p. 48.

The Christian Science Sentinel, a weekly magazine, contains more articles about God's power to heal.

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