Our Benefactor

I was a little late in putting out my bird feeder last year. Even as I hung it, I could hear the chattering and rustling of the birds, as if they knew a good source of food was now in place. The word got out quickly, and birds were soon lined up at each of the feeder's openings.

You and I have a benefactor who faithfully feeds us-a caretaker who has known each one of us, always. This is God I am speaking of, whose infinite resources will answer every need we have. Wherever we go, wherever we are, God is there.

Native Americans have sometimes referred to God as a Great Spirit. That is a good description of God. He is Spirit, and is therefore unlimited by materiality. Just think of having a parent who could help you out of any trouble, at any time of the day or night-who is always accessible and wants only good for you. This divine Parent knows you as He made you-good, worthy of care and blessing. God never fails to provide for any legitimate need.

No matter what situation we may find ourselves or someone else to be in, God is there, providing just the right ideas we need. We have only to go to Him humbly, ask for direction, listen, and then follow. His love for us is nonjudgmental and unconditional. We need never fear Him.

Ever with us, God is blessing us always. How comforting to read in the book of Ezekiel in the Bible: "As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. . . . I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God" (34:12, 14, 15).

I love the image of sheep having been fed and lying down in peace, wholly satisfied. They are cared for by the shepherd. They don't regret their past, worry about the present, or fear the future.

We can always find contentment in understanding God's great love for us, even if human circumstances are going against us. God does not love and appreciate us one day and cut us off from good the next. No matter what the situation, God's blessings continue to flow. If we open our hearts and minds to hearing Him and to following in the way that is best, neither closed doors, closed borders, nor lost opportunities can separate us from His wise provision. This holds true for us and for our families. The assets of spiritual ideas are never beyond reach.

We are never too young or old to serve God, to follow in the paths He directs. As His spiritual offspring, we never outwear or outgrow our usefulness. The benefits He bestows on all His creation are never withdrawn. His good is never held in trust, to be made available only at some future date, or in some other location. Today, He loves us unequivocally. And because His giving does not deplete His storehouse, all, not only a chosen few, are blessed. God has no favorites. God cuts no one out.

The woman who discovered Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, was brought up to love God. Early in her life, her mother urged her to go to God in prayer to be healed of a fever. She felt God's love so tangibly that she was healed. That love she felt blossomed into a growing dedication to serving Him. Gradually she came to a new understanding of God as Love-that never brings sorrow, suffering, or lack. Later she wrote, "Rest assured that He in whom dwelleth all life, health, and holiness, will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory" (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 186). Through many trials God's love sustained her; and in turning to Him with her whole heart, she was guided to convey to others a scientific understanding of the laws underlying God's creation.

These were the same laws that had enabled Christ Jesus to heal physical ills and satisfy hungry hearts. Today, when understood clearly, they still heal. They satisfy the search for God.