Article February 26, 1938 Issue

The Greatness and Goodness of God

MAUDE FRANCES ATKINSON

IN many of the Psalms we find David singing of the greatness and goodness of God. Even when pressed on every side by difficulties, he did not forget to worship God. From his youth his knowledge and vision of God were high and lofty. Thus, we find him recounting to Saul his early proof of God's power to deliver him from "the paw of the lion, and ... the paw of the bear." So confident was he of this protection that Saul was persuaded to accept David's experience as without proof of God's goodness, and was able to say without hesitancy to him, "Go, and the Lord be with thee." David recognized the greatness of God when all those around him were in fear of Goliath.

Many of us have had experiences of healing and protection through the study of Christian Science, which we may recall, as did David, to help and strengthen us in our present demonstrations. In the forty-eighth Psalm we read, "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness." Our revered Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, quotes this verse at the opening of the chapter entitled, "The Apocalypse" in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 558). And in "No and Yes" (p. 32) she writes: "Good is great and real. Hence its opposite, named evil, must be small and unreal."

The writer remembers a testimony given at one of our Wednesday evening testimony meetings, in which a man stated that during the World War, and while overseas, he had been demoted. He asked the help of a Christian Science practitioner on the matter. The practitioner corresponded with him, and also sent him warm clothing and provisions. One day he received a package containing a cake, which he ate; but he felt a little rebellious because this was not what he really desired. He wrote and thanked her, but also told her that this was not what he really wanted: he wanted his position restored. She lovingly wrote him by return mail, telling him that in Christian Science we do not demonstrate positions, but more of good. The man quickly realized the point she was trying to bring out to him, because he had begun to learn through the teachings of Christian Science that God is infinite good. So he resolved, there and then, that he would begin to seek more of good everywhere. He was doing night duty at the time, and he began immediately to like his work better, and also to think more kindly of his commanding officer. On the very night when he formed this resolve and began to carry it out, he was recommended for promotion.

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