Editorial November 1, 1924 Issue

The Voice of God

Ella W. Hoag

It is quite safe to say that if any one would obey the voice of God constantly he would as constantly progress Spiritward. All the righteousness the world has ever known has been wrought through obedience to the voice of God. All the patriarchs and prophets helped the world only as they listened to God's voice and obeyed it. Jesus never obeyed any other, and he lived perfectly. Mrs. Eddy, following in his footsteps, perpetually heard and perpetually obeyed. And it is the privilege of every individual as steadfastly to listen and as faithfully to obey; then they, too, will go forward blessing the world richly.

It is, however, often asked: How are we always to recognize the voice of God? How are we to listen for it? To the Christian Scientist, who knows that his entire demonstration of the Science of being must be based on Mrs. Eddy's statement in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 492) that "God is Mind, and God is infinite; hence all is Mind," the answer to these questions should be clear and simple. Since God is Mind and Mind is good, we can only know God through His good thoughts; we therefore hear His voice when we discern His thoughts. In other words, each thought of good which we recognize or think is God's voice to us. As we then watch the thoughts which knock at our mental door, waiting for those which are good, we are really listening for His voice. Our problem, therefore, is to "stand porter at the door of thought" (Science and Health, p. 392). As we accept, cling to, and obey the good thoughts of God, we find it possibe to refuse to listen to or entertain those of a supposititious carnal or mortal mind which is opposed to good; and in proportion to our faithfulness we are able to go steadily forward in a triumphant march from belief in evil to the understanding of good. To learn to divide between the voice of Truth and the voice of error is therefore of tremendous importance; indeed, one great reason for studying our textbooks is that we may thus learn to differentiate between good and evil thoughts.

As we awake to the great necessity of listening for and obeying God's voice; as we carefully, prayerfully watch that we may always do this, we shall often be amazed at how slow we are to obey. If one will keep account for a few hours of the number of times he recognizes the voice of God,—the promptings to think and speak and act in accordance with the demand of Christian Science,—he will no doubt be astonished to see how frequently he turns from these promptings either thoughtlessly, willfully, or impatiently,—but in each such case disobediently! So often we fail to cling to the thoughts of Truth, forgetting that they are always Immanuel, "God with us"! Instead, we even listen to arguments which would tempt us to believe that to dwell with God's good thoughts is of little, if any, use. All the time, however, Truth is at hand, and the true desire is present urging us to persevere in listening for good, in thinking with good, in obeying good.

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