Article November 3, 1980 Issue

Government God's way

DIANE STAUNTON STAPLES

Isaiah lived through some turbulent political events, including war. And he gave us the ultimate source of all government when he wrote, "The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us."^{Isa. 33:22;} This statement is of special interest to those living in democracies because it covers the three branches often associated with this form of government: the judicial, the legislative, and the executive. But these are the basic functions of most governments, anywhere: to settle disputes peacefully, to pass laws, and to oversee the carrying out of those laws. Isaiah's declaration tells us that God is responsible for all these functions. He alone judges us; He alone makes laws; He alone enforces them. In a fundamental spiritual sense, God is all the government there actually is. The deepest political need from Isaiah's day to ours has been to understand this metaphysical fact and what it means in human life.

Mrs. Eddy's spiritual interpretation of the Lord's Prayer that Christ Jesus gave us explains the profound meaning of this prayer.^{See Science and Health, pp. 16-17;} Referring to the line "Thy kingdom come," she writes: "Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present." When we pray in this way, aren't we acknowledging that God's kingdom—His government—is here now?