Article July 28, 1986 Issue

God's inspiration—always "at hand"

SCOTT F. PRELLER

Recently I made a commitment to complete a project, and although I thought a great deal about it, I was unable to get a clear idea as to how to proceed. I prayed and listened for divine direction, but I only found myself becoming more and more confused. I felt as though I had fallen into a pit of mental darkness; inspiration felt a million miles away. One night I felt so low that I found myself literally on my knees pleading, "Father, where are You? Why can't I feel Your presence and inspiration?" Suddenly a verse from Jeremiah came to mind: "Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?"^{Jer. 23:23.}

In this verse, Jeremiah shows God as rebuking His people for losing sight of His infinite nature. But like so many Biblical passages, this one cuts two ways. It also served to awaken me to the fact that God is always "at hand"—immediate and available. Until then, I had been acting as though inspiration were an infrequent flash of light, and as if I were just going to have to wait for a ray to land on me.

I also remembered a statement by Mrs. Eddy from the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health, which although referring to sickness, seemed directly applicable to my need. It reads, "A mere request that God will heal the sick has no power to gain more of the divine presence than is always at hand."^{Science and Health, p. 12.} I began to see more clearly that God is always present, expressing His love, His power, His truth—even during times when we don't consciously feel the divine influence. God's presence isn't subject to human circumstances or endeavors. It's an unchanging reality—a spiritual fact to which man bears witness. As I understood this, I not only got many useful ideas for the project, but I felt a renewed joy in everyday life.