Article November 7, 1994 Issue

How can we know God is guiding us?

Robert A. Johnson

When we have prayed to know what God wants us to do, how can we be sure that the answer we get is from God? There are times when this is easy. For instance, God does not direct us to commit an immoral or injurious action—to do something contrary to His law. So, a beginning step is to be sure the answer we have does not violate His law as shown in the Bible.

Equally important is to have an absolute trust in God—a patient, unwavering faith that finds its strength in an understanding of God as Mind, as infinite, ever-present Love, and of man as Mind's full and exact expression. A third step is an unselfish willingness to act on our highest understanding of Mind's guidance, knowing that if we start down the wrong path, God will redirect our steps.

To be sure we are acting in accord with divine law, we need to know not only the letter but also the spiritual sense of the law. Moses showed us the foundation of all moral and spiritual law in the Ten Commandments. But it remained for Christ Jesus to reveal the importance of their spiritual meaning. Talking with the friendly Pharisee Nicodemus, Jesus said: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ... That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:3, 6). Some measure of spiritual regeneration, such as Jesus told Nicodemus was needed, accompanies all true progress.

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