Trials Are Proofs of God's Care [ , DKeeler]

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1 of 8 4//0 :0 AM Trials Are Proofs of God's Care [4-8-, DKeeler] Wed Svc [Hymns 8,, 5] Wednesday, April 8, 0 SECTION I Trials often teach lessons & turn man to God's care Ps 0: In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me. II Sam :- The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears. 8 Job 5:8, I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: Ps :, (to.),,4(to.),5-,8(to.) Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Ps 0: O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. Ps 40:-,8, I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth

2 of 8 4//0 :0 AM continually preserve me. Trials of Job Job :-,-,4-0, There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. 8 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 0 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. 8 Job :,,0 In So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

3 of 8 4//0 :0 AM 0 In all this did not Job sin with his lips. Job :,5 And Job spake, and said, 5 0 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. Job :,,4,5 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, 4 5 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles. For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: 4 4 Job : (to,) And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, Job :4 The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. Job : Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict. Job 8:, - Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 4 5 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 5 Job 40:0 0 Job 4:-, 5, 0,,, Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty. Then Job answered the Lord, and said, 5 I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. 0 And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. Conclusion

4 4 of 8 4//0 :0 AM Prov :5, Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. Jude :4,5 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. SCIENCE AND HEALTH : SH :0 Trials are proofs of God's care. Spiritual development germinates not from seed sown in the soil of material hopes, but when these decay, Love propagates anew the higher joys of Spirit, which have no taint of earth. Each successive stage of experience unfolds new views of divine goodness and love. SH 548: Earth has little light or joy for mortals before Life is spiritually learned. Every agony of mortal error helps error to destroy error, and so aids the apprehension of immortal Truth. This is the new birth going on hourly, by which men may entertain angels, the true ideas of God, the spiritual sense of being. SH 5:8- The pains of sense quickly inform us that the pleasures of sense are mortal and that joy is spiritual. The pains of sense are salutary, if they wrench away false pleasurable beliefs and transplant the affections from sense to Soul, where the creations of God are good, "rejoicing the heart." SH :- Job said: "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee." Mortals will echo Job's thought, when the supposed pain and pleasure of matter cease to predominate. They Decapitation of error The true sense will then drop the false estimate of life and happiness, of joy and sorrow, and attain the bliss of loving unselfishly, working patiently, and conquering all that is unlike God. Starting from a higher standpoint, one rises spontaneously, even as light emits light without effort; for "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

5 5 of 8 4//0 :0 AM 0 The foundation of mortal discord is a false sense of man's origin. To begin rightly is to end rightly. Every concept which seems to begin with the brain begins falsely. Divine Mind is the only cause or Principle of existence. Cause does not exist in matter, in mortal mind, or in physical forms. Mind the only cause 5 08: : 8 4 SH 0:-5 Above error's awful din, blackness, and chaos, the voice of Truth still calls: "Adam, where art thou? Consciousness, where art thou? Art thou dwelling in the belief that mind is in matter, and that evil is mind, or art thou The great question in the living faith that there is and can be but one God, and keeping His commandment?" Until the lesson is learned that God is the only Mind governing man, mortal belief will be afraid as it was in the beginning, and will hide from the demand, "Where art thou?" This awful demand, "Adam, where art thou?" is met by the admission from the head, heart, stomach, blood, nerves, etc.: "Lo, here I am, looking for happiness and life in the body, but finding only an illusion, a blending of false claims, false pleasure, pain, sin, sickness, and death." The Soul-inspired patriarchs heard the voice of Truth, and talked with God as consciously as man talks with man. SH 8: 4 Mortals suppose that they can live without goodness, when God is good and the only real Life. What is the result? Understanding little about the divine Principle which saves and heals, mortals get Final destruction of error rid of sin, sickness, and death only in belief. These errors are not thus really destroyed, and must therefore cling to mortals until, here or hereafter, they gain the true understanding of God in the Science which destroys human delusions about Him and reveals the grand realities of His allness. SH 48: If the five corporeal senses were the medium through which to understand God, then palsy, blindness, and deafness would place man in a terrible situation, where he would be like those "having no hope, and without God in the world;" but as a matter of fact, these calamities often drive mortals to seek and to find a higher sense of happiness and existence. SH 5:4 Mortal mind accepts the erroneous, material conception of life and joy, but the true idea is gained from the

6 of 8 4//0 :0 AM immortal side. Through toil, struggle, and sorrow, what do mortals attain? They give up their belief in perishable life and happiness; the mortal and material return to dust, and the immortal is reached. True attainment 0 4 SH :- If the disciple is advancing spiritually, he is striving to enter in. He constantly turns away from material sense, and looks towards the imperishable things of Spirit. SH 8: When the real is attained, which is announced by Science, joy is no longer a trembler, nor is hope a cheat. Spiritual ideas, like numbers and notes, start from Principle, and admit no materialistic beliefs. Spiritual ideas lead up to their divine origin, God, and to the spiritual sense of being. SH : - Trials teach mortals not to lean on a material staff, a broken reed, which pierces the heart. We do not half remember this in the sunshine of joy and prosperity. Sorrow is salutary. Through great tribulation we enter the kingdom. Trials are proofs of God's care. Salutary sorrow HYMNS Hymn 8:0- Hymn 8 Play other arrangement: P. M. Adapted WALLOG H. Walford Davies Music from A Students' Hymnal (Hymns of the Kingdom) By permission of the Oxford University Press Pilgrim on earth, home and heaven are within thee, Heir of the ages and child of the day. Cared for, watched over, beloved and protected, Walk thou with courage each step of the way. Truthful and steadfast though trials betide thee, Ever one thing do thou ask of thy Lord, Grace to go forward, wherever He guide thee, Gladly obeying the call of His word. Healed is thy hardness, His love hath dissolved it,

7 of 8 4//0 :0 AM Full is the promise, the blessing how kind; So shall His tenderness teach thee compassion, So all the merciful, mercy shall find. Hymn :0- Hymn "K" in Rippon's Selection, 8 Adapted ADESTE FIDELES 8th Century How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word. What more can He say than to you He hath said, To you who to God for your refuge have fled: Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed, For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid; I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand; When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine. Hymn 5:0- Hymn 5 Carl J. P. Spitta Richard Massie, Tr. WORDSWORTH William H. Monk, Adapted I know no life divided, O Lord of life, from Thee; In Thee is life provided For all mankind and me: I know no death, O Father, Because I live in Thee; Thy life it is that frees us From death eternally. I fear no tribulation, Since, whatsoe'er it be, It makes no separation Between my Lord and me:

8 8 of 8 4//0 :0 AM Since Thou, my God and Father, Dost claim me as Thine own, I richly shall inherit All good, from Thee alone. Printed from CONCORD: A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE STUDY RESOURCE, published by The Christian Science Board of Directors in Boston, MA, USA. This content may be under copyright and may not be further reproduced or distributed, unless permitted under the Concord User License Agreement.