Traveling with angels
WE drove into a city that was strange to us. There was just a short time before my friend was due to give a talk to several hundred people, and we had no idea which way to go. Following an intuition, I pulled over to the curb just before a crossroads. Immediately the car behind us pulled over too. A friendly voice said, ``You look as though you could use some directions. Can I help?'' Our new friend didn't just give us directions. She led us in her car right across the city, well out of her way, until we reached the hall we were looking for. Then, with a friendly wave, she was gone. A coincidence? Much more than that, for we found help like this whenever we needed it on our travels. Before setting out I had prayed for God's guidance. Then, listening for His direction, I remembered a verse in the Bible: ``He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.''1 This comforted me, and my fears began to subside.
What are these angels? Feathery-winged beings whizzing through the sky, as depicted by medieval artists? Quite a different picture is painted by the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy. Part of her definition of angels reads, ``God's thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect.''2 So the impulsion that came to me in the car that day was truly the work of an angel, a spiritual intuition -- the proof of God's care and love.
God's pure thoughts provide us with guidance. As we pray to God and listen for His guidance, we will know what steps to take, which direction to go. Whether we're traveling around the world or merely driving to work, our journey through life will be made easier as we turn to God for guidance.
Does this mean that we can start out on a journey, sit back, and do nothing? Not at all. We need to affirm vigorously the spiritual reality of existence, the truth of man's unity with God as His spiritual image, the truth of His control over His universe and of His ever-presence. It would be senseless to sit shivering in a cold, dark room shuttered from the warmth of the sun. It's wiser to open the window and let the warm sunlight stream in. Our prayer to God opens the window of understanding, which lets in the light of divine Love's presence and care.
Many travelers over the years have had cause to be grateful for the protection given by God's angel thoughts. Because God is Spirit, as we learn from the Bible, He is always present. Man cannot possibly be outside His presence and love.The Way-shower, Christ Jesus, certainly proved this, as the Gospels show in their record of his healing works and in instances of protection from harm, such as Jesus' escape from an angry mob.
The angels of God's presence prove His power to be omnipotent good. This was very simply illustrated to me when I was walking to work one day. Halfway across a busy highway I paused on the concrete divider. Traffic rushed past on both sides. Suddenly it was as though someone behind me said, ``Step back.'' I thought, ``Why? That's silly.'' Again the command came, ``Step back.'' This time I obeyed and moved back several paces. At that moment a large truck thundered past, hitting a hole in the road. Its load bounced in the air, and a sheet of corrugated iron hurtled off the truck and whistled past the spot where I had been standing. It fell harmlessly into the street. If I had not moved back, I could have been severely injured.
Whatever our mode of travel, we are never out of reach of God's thoughts. As we come to understand His omnipresence and our safety in His care, we'll be more receptive to His direction and will more readily experience it, no matter what the situation.
1Psalms 91:11. 2Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 581. You can find more articles like this one in the Christian Science Sentinel, a weekly magazine. DAILY BIBLE VERSE Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21
