In his spiritually mental journey the student of Christian Science finds in the story of David and Goliath an encouraging lesson. The shepherd lad, faithful to duty amidst the dangers of the wilderness, daily proved that divine protection was a sure defense. Hence his faith in God became a natural, positive, steadfast quality of reliance. His willingness and readiness to meet Goliath resulted from his unfaltering trust in the Lord, whom he loved with all his heart. This gave him the strength of courage and wisdom which conquered the boasting enemy.

Goliath's reliance upon material strength, material prowess, material self, had no defense against David's faith in the power of eternal right, the might of Truth.

And so it is today. Sin, disease, death, want, and woe may appear as towering giants, menacing Goliaths. But in proportion to our reliance on God we repeat the victory of David, for "God is no respecter of persons," but is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Steadfast faith leads to spiritual understanding and shows us how to "put on the whole armour of God."

Moses, the Hebrew lawgiver; Christ Jesus, the Wayshower; and Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, relied on God. Spiritually inspired and guided, they lifted human thought to clearer, higher perception of the supremacy of God, thus enabling men throughout the ages to find in spiritual truth the divine safeguard.

One student of Christian Science demonstrated this truth while a resident of the Philippine Islands. When swimming one bright day in the calm blue waters of the Pacific, he suddenly realized that he was caught in the swift outgoing tide. As he turned shoreward he found that he could barely discern land. For an instant strength seemed completely to desert him. Then there flashed into his thought the words, "The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea," and instantly he was steadied by the comforting truth of God's presence and power. Time and again the sure consciousness that "underneath are the everlasting arms" met and mastered the aggressive suggestions of exhaustion and defeat, until finally he felt the sand under his feet and was able to stand upright and make his way through the shallow waters. To the awed natives who met him at the water's edge, this was a miracle. To the Christian Scientist it meant humble, joyous, grateful recognition of God's omnipresence and omnipotence. Steadfast reliance on God had, Davidlike, conquered a Goliath of fear.

Fear is the Goliath of today because of the world's gross ignorance of the ever-presence of God. One would not fear darkness if he were conscious of the presence of light. To know God is to be conscious of His ever-presence, and through spiritual consciousness to know no fear. Ages ago the Psalmist discerned that God speaks continuously to His children through His works; for he sang joyously, "Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge." And we daily—consciously or unconsciously—acknowledge this truth. Through the silent glory of sunrise and sunset, the still beauty of the starry night and the order of the planets, we recognize the operation of law. In the spiritually real universe is omnipotence declared, omnipresence proclaimed, and God's voice heard.

When, through spiritual understanding, the truth of being becomes real to us, the Goliaths of material sense will be seen as mere boasting errors which never have had and never will have the power to intercept, deflect, subvert, or nullify one jot or one tittle of God's law. Spiritual perception, not visual organs of sense, reveals God's law. Without spiritual understanding we could not comprehend His law and its demands. Intelligence, derived from God, shapes, molds, our destiny; hence we should be prayerfully alert in guarding what we accept into our mental homes. Like David we should know always and under all circumstances that, while evil may boldly flaunt its persistent claims, it is powerless to reverse or dethrone Truth.

Suppose mortals were to deny that the earth daily revolves on its axis, would that alter the fact? Denials would be fatuous. So it is with spiritual facts. That which is eternally established, is. Truth is unalterable. Let us be grateful for unalterable, eternal Truth, the Principle of all that really is. Without it security would be a thing of chance, and surety a fable.

Christ Jesus was ever conscious of the realities of Spirit; and in this true knowing lay his power, his spiritual dominion over all material conditions and beliefs. In every act of his wondrous career he demonstrated for time and eternity the glorious truth that to the real man, God's idea, belong the inherent right and might of spiritual perception and comprehension. Mrs. Eddy writes of Christ Jesus (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 162): "Of the lineage of David, like him he went forth, simple as the shepherd boy, to disarm the Goliath. Panoplied in the strength of an exalted hope, faith, and understanding, he sought to conquer the three-in-one of error: the world, the flesh, and the devil."

The power David exercised was spiritual; and this is the power we must utilize, if we would triumphantly conquer evil in all its forms, and prove the forever fact that "now are we the sons of God."