Article October 30, 1915 Issue

Love's Never-failing Hand

W. W. TOTHEROH, LL.D.

Some mountain climbers who were bent on reaching one of the high peaks of the Alps, came to a point where the narrow path on a ledge overhanging a deep precipice was almost completely blocked by a great rock that had been loosened from its moorings by recent rains. The first thought of some on discovering the barrier was that the ascent would have to be abandoned, but the leading guide soon proved himself master of the situation. Placing himself securely in position, he extended his hand to aid the timorous to encircle the rock. One after another thus reached the other side in safety; but one woman became appalled as she gained a near view of the almost obliterated trail, and giving a look into the vale below, drew back in terror. The guide promptly met the need. With a kindly smile and a voice pulsating with cheery confidence he declared: "Come, don't be afraid. That hand has never lost a man." This incident is fraught with instructive thoughts.

The Bible abounds with passages in which the hand is figuratively employed to express God's power and influence. It is a helping hand; a hand overflowing with blessings. We are reminded of that reassuring and joy-giving promise to God's people voiced by the prophet Isaiah: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: ... I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." What more could be desired? This thought relates itself to the cause of all the ills and troubles that becloud the lives of mankind, the atheism of fear, doubt, and anxiety, the absence of faith in the one omnipotent God. Moreover, it serves to eliminate the discordant and injurious conditions from consciousness by bringing to view the constant immanence of God, whose hand is always able and ready to help. The Scriptures, which gather up the many and varied experiences of God's people in which they were afforded proofs of divine love and care, constitute a grand Te Deum of praise; but in our own times, when through Christian Science there has been a revival of the understanding that God is infinite, divine Mind, and that man is God's idea, and when all manner of healings are being experienced, the song of gratitude and praise is being repeated with a new fervor and is engaging happy voices in all lands.

The old theological concept of God as seated on a throne in a far removed heaven, where He had to be besought and "wrestled with" to gain His attention and to win His favor, naturally brought to men a sense of estrangement. This is dispelled by Christian Science in its spiritual interpretation of the Scriptures and in its unfoldment of the truth as to the nature of the Most High, and of man's relation to Him.

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