"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." ^{Matt. 7:7, 8;} Here is robust Christian encouragement, in the words of Jesus, for anyone who believes in, or will try to understand, God as the loving Father whom he preached.

A young student of Christian Science once became greatly exercised over her first careful reading of a certain injunction of Mrs. Eddy's in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health: "If students do not readily heal themselves, they should early call an experienced Christian Scientist to aid them. If they are unwilling to do this for themselves, they need only to know that error cannot produce this unnatural reluctance." ^{Science and Health, p. 420;} Questions flooded her thinking.

Evidently one was expected to make some prayerful, metaphysical effort in his own behalf before asking for help. But just what did "readily" mean? And "early"? How long should one strive in his own behalf? And how hard? Should he struggle along alone, or might he even damage his health in so doing? And just what did "aid" mean? She had thought the practitioner was supposed to heal, not merely aid.

It began to be somewhat distressingly clear to her that she was going to have to assume considerably more responsibility in working out her own salvation than she had deduced from her first experience with Christian Science, when, through the prayerful work of a Christian Science practitioner, she had been healed of a spinal injury for which, under medical treatment, she had had an expensive and unsuccessful operation.

After battling alone with this perplexing passage for several days, she went to see the Christian Scientist who was later to become her teacher and poured out her questions to her. The teacher listened kindly and attentively without saying a word. When the student had quite finished, she said pleasantly, "Only God can tell you that."

This might have seemed an evasive and unsympathetic answer, but the student felt strangely happy with it. She experienced a strong spiritual conviction that God would always be with her to tell her just how long to try to work for herself, when and where to ask for help if she found it necessary, and how long to continue with the help. Through the years this answer has stood the test of time and has proved to have been an answer from God, not a human opinion.

We read in the book of Isaiah, "It shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." ^{Isa. 65:24;}

Through the writings of Mrs. Eddy the voice of God speaks clearly to this age. In reading, pondering, or studying these writings we often find our questions answered even before we are aware of asking them. Through this mental exercise thought is spiritualized and we learn to pray intelligently with confidence that we ourselves can actually hear the voice of God, informing us, directing us. We gradually learn not to ask of others questions that, it is quite evident, no one but the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-hearing, all-wise, all-loving Father can possibly answer for us. With His answers comes healing.

In prayer those things which Christ Jesus uttered, which had been hidden from the beginning of the world, are revealed to us. Mrs. Eddy says, "Jesus prayed; he withdrew from the material senses to refresh his heart with brighter, with spiritual views." ^{Science and Health, p. 32.}

We also can do just that and find ourselves rejoicing in unquestioning trust, confident that only God can tell us these things. He always will.