WEDNESDAY EVENING READINGS MAY 16, 2012 “GOD’S PROTECTING POWER”

THE BIBLE:

PSALMS

91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

PROVERBS

3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 5 ¶Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.

II CHRONICLES

1 … Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities, and thought to win them for himself. 2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem,

6 … he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying, 7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: 8 Withhimisanarmofflesh;butwithusistheLordourGodtohelpus,andto fight our battles.

9 ¶After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, saying, 15 Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?

20 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven. 21 ¶And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword. 22 Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side.

JEREMIAH

22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. 3 … I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. 4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord. 5 ¶Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

MATTHEW

9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 12:10 ¶ And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

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11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. 7: 24 ¶ ,,,, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

PSALMS

46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; 9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; 10 Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 121:2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. 7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: 8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

SCIENCE & HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES BY MARY BAKER EDDY

S&H 387:27

The history of Christianity furnishes sublime proofs of the supporting influence and protecting power bestowed on man by his heavenly Father, omnipotent Mind, who gives man faith and understanding whereby to defend himself, not only from temptation, but from bodily suffering.

S&H 380:28-4

Nothing is more disheartening than to believe that there is a power opposite to God, or good, and that God endows this opposing power with strength to be used against Himself, against Life, health, harmony. Every law of matter or the body, supposed to govern man, is rendered null and void by the law of Life, God.

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Ignorant of our God-given rights, we submit to unjust decrees, and the bias of education enforces this slavery.

S&H 446:24-25

Resisting evil, you overcome it and prove its nothingness

S&H 66:6-7, 10-11, 14

Trials teach mortals not to lean on a material staff, — a broken reed, which pierces the heart. Trials are proofs of God’s care. Each successive stage of experience unfolds new views of divine goodness and love.

S&H 390:4-9

We cannot deny that Life is self-sustained, and we should never deny the everlasting harmony of Soul, simply because, to the mortal senses, there is seeming discord. It is our ignorance of God, the divine Principle, which produces apparent discord, and the right understanding of Him restores harmony.

SH 234:31-3 Evil thoughts and aims reach no farther and do no more harm than one’s belief permits. Evil thoughts, lusts, and malicious purposes cannot go forth, like wandering pollen, from one human mind to another, finding unsuspected lodgment, if virtue and truth build a strong defence.

S&H 379:6-8

The real jurisdiction of the world is in Mind, controlling every effect and recognizing all causation as vested in divine Mind.

S&H 183:21-24

Divine Mind rightly demands man’s entire obedience, affection, and strength. No reservation is made for any lesser loyalty. Obedience to Truth gives man power and strength.

S&H 207:20-23

There is but one primal cause. Therefore there can be no effect from any other cause, and there can be no reality in aught which does not proceed from this great and only cause.

S&H 275:14-20

All substance, intelligence, wisdom, being, immortality, cause, and effect belong to God. These are His attributes, the eternal manifestations of the infinite divine Principle, Love. No wisdom is wise but His wisdom; no truth is true, no love is lovely, no life is Life but the divine; no good is, but the good God bestows.

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Divine metaphysics, as revealed to spiritual understanding, shows clearly that all is Mind, and that Mind is God, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, — that is, all power, all presence, all Science.

S&H 151:20-24, 26

Every function of the real man is governed by the divine Mind. The human mind has no power to kill or to cure, and it has no control over God’s man. The divine Mind that made man maintains His own image and likeness. All that really exists is the divine Mind and its idea, and in this Mind the entire being is found harmonious and eternal. The straight and narrow way is to see and acknowledge this fact, yield to this power, and follow the leadings of truth.

S&H 180:25-27

When man is governed by God, the ever-present Mind who understands all things, man knows that with God all things are possible.

S&H 444:10

Step by step will those who trust Him find that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

S&H vii:1

To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, to-day is big with blessings.

PUBLICATIONS QUOTATION

Christian Science Sentinel “Under the Government of Divine Principle, Love”

By Richard Nenneman

“The challenge for the individual today is not just learning how to live with the constant threat of terror, but how to deal with it.

“The 91st Psalm contains the familiar words, ‘Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day.’ And, further on, the Psalmist tells why one need not be afraid—because God will ‘give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.’ These angels, which Christian Science recognizes as God’s ideas flowing to man, are the thoughts that come to us when we need them to aid in our protection.

“Just as one finds individual protection through turning to God for guidance, one can turn to God in the larger challenges. We need to see that we are not merely Arabs, Europeans, or Americans. Nor must we even define ourselves solely as Muslims, Christians, or Jews.

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“It is possible to go beyond these categories by which we are used to defining ourselves geographically, socially, or even by religion—categories that often serve to actually divide and separate us.

“The challenge is to rise to that Christ consciousness—that is, the spiritual view of creation—in which we can claim the protection that is provided for all by an omnipotent, omnipresent God.

“Most people who are aware of what’s happening in the world today would like to help in bringing an end to the threat of terror, not only in their own lives, but for individuals and nations all over the planet. The most effective thing we may bring to this effort is the quiet, earnest knowing, through prayer, that we are not divided by race, geography, or religion, but that we all live under the government of divine Principle, Love.”

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