Article April 27, 1957 Issue

LISTENING FOR THE ANGELS

RUTH WESLER GOODWIN

We learn in Christian Science that angels are "God's thoughts passing to man." We must listen for these angels. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, the full definition of the word "angels," from which the above line is quoted, reads as follows (p. 581): "God's thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality." These angels are always present, but they cannot help us unless we heed them.

The early Christians were requested to pray without ceasing, and this precept applies to Christians in all ages. But in the hurried tempo of today one may ask how this can be done. How can one pray while selling goods over a counter, doing housework, instructing the young, counting out money, building a house, or while otherwise busily occupied? The answer is, "By listening for and expressing God's thoughts." If we do this, spiritual intuitions will appear to us clearly and guide us through the day. In the Bible, God is represented as saying (Ex. 23:20), "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared."

Angels are present when we pray. They impart wisdom, strength, integrity, love—in fact, all the qualities of God. If we listen for these angel messages while doing our necessary work in the world, they will permeate our thinking and purify our desires. The desire for honesty and fair dealing is prayer. The desire to be helpful or to produce something good and useful is prayer. On page 1 of Science and Health Mrs. Eddy says, "Desire is prayer; and no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires, that they may be moulded and exalted before they take form in words and in deeds."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

WHAT ARE WE WITHHOLDING?