God "our refuge and strength"

HARRIETTE MELDRIM LAKE

The familiar Bible promise, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble," is particularly pertinent today, when so many are in need of help. Surely the God who championed the Israelites in their campaigns against pagan hordes is protecting the modern crusaders of the cause of freedom.

Those who have relatives in the armed services can find security and peace of mind if they will confidently turn to God, who is indeed the preserver of man. Such ones can consign their servicemen to God's loving care, knowing that He will protect, sustain, and guide them, and that, thus inspired, they can make wise decisions and successfully perform their duties. It is just as important for the relatives to overcome a sense of fear and anxiety as it is for the men themselves to do so, and by so doing, the members of the family will be aiding the men to demonstrate fearlessness and serenity. In "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (p. 210), Mary Baker Eddy gives this counsel: "Good thoughts are an impervious armor; clad therewith you are completely shielded from the attacks of error of every sort. And not only yourselves are safe, but all whom your thoughts rest upon are thereby benefited."

A student of Christian Science, who was a pilot in the Army Air Force, took off one day in an attack bomber, only to discover upon getting it into the air that the hydraulic system had ceased functioning, and that the wing flaps and brakes would not work, nor would the wheels retract. He tried all human means to correct this difficulty, but without success.

Then he knew that he must make a crash landing. His consciousness was clear and free from excitement or confusion, and immediately the thought came to him, "Here is an opportunity to prove God's protecting power." He called the control tower for instructions, explaining his situation, and was told to land in the dirt alongside the runway. Ordinarily in a plane of this type it is practically impossible to stop rolling without brakes. However, the pilot landed in a ditch which had not been apparent from the air, shearing off one wheel and scattering wreckage in all directions; then the plane turned completely around and came to a stop.

When the ambulance and the crash truck arrived at the wreck, the pilot was sitting calmly on one of the wings, filling in his flight report. The plane was written off as a total loss, but the pilot was without a scratch and in perfect physical condition, according to the examination of the flight surgeon. To the observers, this seemed miraculous, but the Christian Scientist recognized it as natural. It coincided with Mrs. Eddy's definition of "miracle" in the Glossary of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," which reads (p. 591), "That which is divinely natural, but must be learned humanly."

Now the Bible assures us that "God is no respecter of persons." Therefore all men have a right to expect just as sure protection as this pilot experienced, if they are relying on divine power. It is the privilege of every Christian soldier to know that God, divine Mind, is his Life, and therefore that he is not at the mercy of a capricious fate. Only good can come into his experience when he is trusting divine guidance. He should recognize himself as spiritual, eternal, and indestructible, and therefore as not within the range of any material force, weapon, or obstacle.

When confronted by the seemingly powerful defense weapons against which it is his duty to storm, the soldier must be alert lest he be tempted to give them power in his own thought. They are weapons of the carnal, mortal mind, and are impotent when used to stop the forces of righteousness. He should remember that the most powerful weapons "are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." When David went into combat against Goliath, he was facing an enemy who was equipped with far superior armament, materially considered, yet David was able to prevail. "Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield," David cried, "but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." With like confidence in God as a bulwark, the warriors of today can go forth to victory.

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