“What would God say about that?” is a helpful question to ponder, in any circumstances we find ourselves. In other words, “What light can a view of spiritual reality shed on the situation, whatever that may be?”
Through my study of the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, I understand that God is spiritual, not material. The Bible tells us, “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24), and as God’s offspring we are created in His image and likeness, spiritual as well, and wholly good.
The Bible also says of God, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil” (Habakkuk 1:13). So, God sees and knows all His offspring as entirely spiritual and perfect. And His communication to us – what He would say – can only be based on the spiritual reality He forever knows.
Christ Jesus applied these facts to everyday life, whatever the discordant situation might have been. He chose at each opportunity to see the world through the lens of spiritual reality, rather than the material unreality that seemed to be.
For instance, when Jesus was at sea with his disciples and a great storm arose, they were very fearful. However, Jesus responded to the tumult with words inspired by what he knew of spiritual reality: “Peace, be still.” Then we read: “And there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). Peace, stillness, and calm, which come from God, are the sole reality, and these spiritual qualities were brought to bear on a very fearful situation. The material, discordant unreality then became powerless to impress and harmony was restored.
Mrs. Eddy lived through times of war and strife within her own country and among nations. Her writings show what she saw in the midst of conflict. For example, she wrote in “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures”: “One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfils the Scripture, ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself;’ …” (p. 340). She saw that God’s fatherhood of us all is expressed in our unity with one another, and this is the spiritual reality that has the power to end conflict.
During one of my tours as a Christian Science chaplain with the United States Navy, two sailors were lost at sea for two days off the coast of Oahu in Hawaii. They had gone out fishing together when their boat was capsized by huge waves, and they drifted over 50 miles out to sea. On the morning of the third day, they noticed a United States Coast Guard aircraft in the distance, waved a marker flag, and were finally rescued.
So, what would God say about the desperate circumstances these men faced? When the material view spoke of very dire circumstances, spiritual reality said that these men, as God’s loved children, could never be separated from God, never be lost from His care. I was among many praying for the men, and I had acknowledged this truth in my prayers. Upon their safe return, I went to visit the sailor I knew, and he told me that they never gave up and continued to pray to God, knowing that He would save them.
We have opportunities every day to ask the question, “What would God say about that?” And, ultimately, that question can lead us to experience God’s divine power as we prayerfully see and acknowledge things as God sees them – from the basis that reality is spiritual, rather than material, harmonious rather than discordant. This higher view leads to solutions of all kinds, including healing.
