Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?" asks the Psalmist. These words indicate a condition of human thought that is certainly not unknown to men today. The suggestions of mortal mind seek to deceive and strive for recognition, as though they were true and real. The outward picture may present the appearance of sickness or weakness. The suggestion may appear as a difficult business situation, or lack of work. Or the trouble may be inharmonious family relationships, which cause sorrow. But since evil never has real power, we are only faced with unreality claiming to be real.

The most common weapon of the tempter is doubt in some guise, the attempt to shatter faith in God, good. But whoever has learned in Christian Science and has proved for himself that God is omnipotent, that He alone has power, and that only His law governs, knows that in God's kingdom all is perfect, harmonious, and healthy. He knows, furthermore, that divine law can never be made ineffective through anything that mortal thinking may devise. The unity of God and His ideas can never be disturbed, much less destroyed.

A realization of this, which we gain through Christian Science, shows us that true consciousness is an impregnable stronghold. It dispels fear. Lying beliefs may appear to use the most diverse and hidden modes of attack, but they are proved powerless as the Christian Scientist looks to divine Principle and trusts the operation of spiritual law. Should erroneous suggestions succeed in darkening our vision, the call to right activity will not be long in sounding.

And what is this call? The effort of evil is to prevent us from reflecting good. As soon as we feel a sense of insecurity, because a problem has taken on an unexpected form, or when we doubt our ability to express God's will and are dejected, these indications are a call to right activity. We wake to see that lying beliefs are trying to darken our clear vision, and we note that the Psalmist, voicing disquietude, immediately adds, "Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance."

Is this hoping, this waiting, a state of inactivity? By no means. On the contrary, this waiting on God is the grandest, most fruitful activity. If we are waiting on God, we are directing our whole thought towards Him, towards Life, Truth, and Love. Then is there any room left for that which disturbed us? We know there is not. The light of Truth disperses the darkness. As we understand the eternal and spiritual facts of being, we recognize our oneness with our heavenly Father, and at the same time perceive the blessings pertaining to our sonship with God. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mary Baker Eddy writes (pp. 365, 366), "The poor suffering heart needs its rightful nutriment, such as peace, patience in tribulation, and a priceless sense of the dear Father's loving-kindness."

Our Father-Mother God does not come to His children with empty hands. The light of Truth and Love floods the receptive consciousness with harmony. The truth about God and His creation, the truth about man and his relation to God, his Father, is the light of Spirit which dispels the darkness of material sense. Truth destroys all sin, and reveals man as pure and free. Divine Love heals all our infirmities, and makes us strong and courageous. Love meets all our needs, satisfying our highest longings. Thus we experience that which is so beautifully expressed in one of our hymns:

He who has felt the nearness of divine Love—and what student of Christian Science has not felt it again and again?—will find his heart overflowing with deep gratitude. If it may be said of our heavenly Father that His goodness is new every morning, then should it not be said of us that our gratitude is new every morning? Within us should glow a pure, active gratitude that cannot do less than reflect to others the Love which meets all needs. In this way we are helped to keep the commandments and abide in Truth and Love.

Need the student of Christian Science feel any fear of problems, when every solution brings with it a wider and deeper understanding of oneness with the heavenly Father? The student of mathematics has to solve new and different problems, in order to retain his ability to apply the rules he has learned. In like manner the student of Christian Science becomes a true soldier of God by using thoughts of Truth, as Christian Science teaches, applying them in his daily life. He thus develops his understanding of Truth, his understanding of God and His idea; and his confidence in the redemptive power of Truth grows proportionately. He becomes stronger, surer, more fearless. In this way he makes practical use of his God-bestowed capacities, and shows forth his gratitude in beneficent works.

Thus the solving of each problem furthers his growth, for it impels him to listen to the voice of Truth and forthwith to replace false beliefs with divine ideas. Thus he lays a firm foundation, and proceeds with increased confidence and joy in his demonstration of the omnipotence of good. Thus do his spiritual capacities grow, and he learns ever more surely and quickly to distinguish between the true and the untrue, the real and the unreal. He learns to make wise and right decisions more promptly, more certainly. In the light of spiritual understanding, problems cease to be problems.

Our Leader says in Science and Health (p. 450), "The Christian Scientist has enlisted to lessen evil, disease, and death; and he will overcome them by understanding their nothingness and the allness of God, or good." This is the work expected of every student of Christian Science. Each one is given the opportunity, according to his understanding, to help in bringing about universal salvation—a task to which our Saviour summoned his followers, and for which Mrs. Eddy has qualified us through her revelation of Christian Science, the Science of being.