With the presidential election in the United States moving past the conventions and now headed toward the final election in November, there is a great amount of thought going into what the future government of the country should look like.
The polls show that more Americans do not trust either of the candidates running for office than do trust them. Many voters are conflicted about who to vote for.
But I find peace in remembering that the higher government of God supersedes the influence of any politician voted into office.
The prophet Isaiah wrote, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders…His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice…” Isaiah 9:6-7, NLT. Isaiah was writing about the government of God through Christ ever-present in the human experience.
Christ is the power and presence of God on earth maintaining order and bringing the human experience into line with the divine. Christ has been at work on the human scene long before you and me, and will be long after. Christ outlives any politician, dictator, ruler or despot. The government of Christ is never suppressed, overturned, or lost. Christ rules over all human affairs no matter who is elected or holds the title of Commander-in-Chief. We can depend upon the government of Christ to provide for us no matter who occupies a temporal office.
Jesus Christ understood the government of God through Christ better than anyone. During his ministry, the Roman Empire was in control of the territory he roamed, and ruled through harsh rules that were oppressive and threatening. But Jesus didn’t fret over them, argue with them or spend time fearing them. He lived to serve God, and relied upon God’s laws to prosper his work. And he was very successful. The political power center of Rome did not stop Jesus from succeeding.
And likewise, with our work, when our primary goal is to serve God, we too will prosper. Human government will not hold us back. Political decree will not be the determining factor of what we can accomplish. With God, all things are possible.
So, one can have no fear of the elections this November. A candidate will be elected, but God’s government is already in place to protect, guide and govern the citizenry of this country. Officeholders come and go, but God’s power and presence remains the same. You have everything you need to keep on living life to the fullest.
Thank you Evan. Often when I read one of your blogs I get one idea, perhaps the main idea you intended to convey. But then I often get other ideas that might be considered “tangential” to the idea you intended.
Today when I read what you posted I realized I have been guilty of what is called in Christian Science “malpractice”. I have already decided who I will vote for in November, not because I am enamored with a specific candidate, but instead because I feel one candidate is not qualified to be President. Now I just realized after reading your blog that I have been malpracticing against the candidate I do not think is qualified by looking for bad news reports about this person and hoping they will act poorly to show other people they are not worthy to be elected. That type of thinking on my part is definitely not a loving attitude towards this person and I sure wouldn’t want someone to think that way about me!
So starting now I pledge to love all candidates running for public office by better understanding the government of God that you wrote about. Nothing will attract good candidates to run for office more than feeling they are loved and appreciated by the people they are desiring to serve.
This has not only opened my eyes about how I think about candidates running for office…but how I think about everyone I encounter. It is never right to wish anything but good for another person. In fact, God, good, lovingly governs all, so in reality good is being showered on everyone, continuously. And in Mind, everyone is always in their right place. So I can know and trust those truths instead of looking and hoping something bad will happen to someone…even if that would mean I’d get my way in the upcoming election or in some other situation.
Yes of course I am so sure that God, the Divine Mind alone will guide all, to choose the right candidate and the right candidate will get the full support. There is nothing to fear when God is already heading the government of the entire universe. He alone inspires, illumines, designates and leads the way of each and everyone.
“Love inspires, illumines, designates and leads the way.” Mary Baker Eddy.
Many other relevant citations from Mary Baker Eddy’s text book “Science and Health with Key to the scriptures”, come to thought and we can pray with these.
“Divine metaphysics, as revealed to spiritual understanding, shows clearly that all is Mind, and that Mind is God, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, – that is, all power, all presence, all Science. Hence all is in reality the manifestation of Mind.”
“Mind, supreme over all its formations and governing them all, is the central sun of its own systems of ideas, the life and light of all its own vast creation; and man is tributary to divine Mind.”
“Be firm in your understanding that the divine Mind governs, and that in Science man reflects God government.”
All confusion is removed when we know that understanding to choose the right candidate is given to us by the Divine Mind… “The Divine understanding reigns is all and there is no other consciousness” Mary Baker Eddy.
So we can be confident and safely leave the final presidential election of the United States in the safe hands of God …”All is under the control of the one Mind even God.” Mary Baker Eddy.
All the very best Evan and when your prayers are so powerful, I am sure the best candidate will be elected.
Thank you Evan for your todays very comforting SpiritView! I think the whole world is looking to the election in America; and many religious people, not only Christian Scientists, are praying for it. Anyway, I am very gratefull for your very clear, convincing and inspiring, as well as very loving explanations of Gods absolute government over all and everything that is and will be!
And very interesting, Brian what you found out. But I think you are not really guilty, because those are not really your thoughts but an error which you meanwhile, as I understand corrected. Thank you for your statements. The same happened to me – I did not really want to elect our chancellor, but meanwhile through prayer I recognized that God also governs Angela Merkel and everybody in our government.
Amen!
The presence of spiritual direction knowing that God governs our government and we need to encourage the continued right thinking and not being hood-winked by erroneous TV commercials that reflect their views if supported by one party or another.
So grateful to know this!
To vote with a backdrop of prayer and reasoning is a much better basis than voting with emotion without an understanding of the tremendous issues at stake in this election. What principles are the individual candidate upholding? Thank you, Evan, for your timely foray into politics and prayer. Deeply needed.
Thanks Evan. Absolute vigilance is needed, here. We can’t hold a few good thoughts and go away content. For the world’s sake, we need to grip fast every day to the fact of the government of Christ, as these writers clearly are doing. Love as well as hate is impersonal. Love is divine Principle, the substance of all, the one Mind governing all its expressions, and every time the temptation comes to us to believe in many minds governed by many loves and fears having power over each other we have to turn right back to that truth, trusting Truth, not human voices.
I woke up yesterday with the words “One Voice” in my thought. I found this article, ONE VOICE, NOT MANY VOICES By Paul Stark Seeley from the June 19, 1948 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel. It’s a powerful treatment for us today, and really helped my prayers. He says, “nothing can ever talk above Mind. Mind’s voice is the only voice that is actually speaking in the universe of Truth, and there is actually no other voice for men to hear, obey, or express.”
I like what was stated in today daily lift as well as what Evan has presented here. Truth is the only real power. My personal disappointment in the political scene is the diversion or manipulation of truth for personal gain. Truth is the guiding light. It is universal, not personal. It is eternal, as Evan has pointed out many times. Truth is power as stated in today’s daily lift. Truth is reliable, directive, corrective and comforting. At it basic core it is love expressed and heals errors of every kind. Personally, I vote for the truth and may all who dispense with it be lost and blinded until they come to accept its compassion and guidance. Truth is divine Love.
Thank you, Evan, all commenters and josef, especially.
Yes, in the absolute realm, the human ruler of any country does not matter because we live under God’s government. So nothing to fear, really.
But still, in the relative human experience, some national leaders all over this earth cause immensely greater suffering than others (even if transitory, illusory and spiritually “nothing,” still painful to children, women, men alike to face despotism and cruel leaders).
Christian Science and prayerful spiritual work was already on the planet as a tangible religion when Nazi Germany cruelly caused the suffering and genocide of millions, just as despotic leadership all over the world in 2016 still causes suffering today, relatively speaking and not absolutely, of course.
I can believe all I want (and I do) that “Divine Love corrects and governs man” (an absolute healing passage I learned to use when class taught using S&H and other inspired writings of Mary Baker Eddy).
At the same time, in a world where the relative experience of billions of people does not include the spiritualization of their thought, I will be using my prayerful approach in favor of the one candidate that by their family and personal record of decades is least likely to rule despotically and cruelly if elected.
So, josef, I will be voting more in alignment with your approach, because I do believe that with the nexus of the relative and the absolute in US politics today, one candidate would be far more likely to lead in alignment with and governance of divine Truth, Love, Spirit, Soul, Mind and Principle.
Surely Christian Science has progressed to the point that we might bring about that good result both relatively and absolutely speaking in November 2016.
And now, I will be praying without ceasing during the first debate!
This is Great, Evan! Thank you so much! I, too, was thinking the other day that just because the Roman Empire was in control politically during Jesus’ time on earth, it didn’t have any effect on stopping him from carrying out his God-Assigned, God-Fulfilled Mission! If we REALLY Know that “All is under the control of the one Mind”, it really won’t matter to us which candidate gets elected…..Why? Because in Spiritual Truth, which is what Christianity and Christian Science are all about, there Really IS Only One Mind governing. When we see and know this…..we can walk through any problem – physical, mental, emotional or political and not be affected or touched or stopped by it. As a friend reminded me……there was at least one case of a person (a woman, I believe) who, after reading S&H, and understanding spiritual reality, just up and walked right out of a German Prison Camp during WWII. What are we believing is Real…..matter or Spirit…..??
Beautiful reminder. I was stopped at “…the government will rest on his shoulders.” Could there be a more comforting message that this? This is a position of strength, not weakness, from which we can all look outward and upward. All is well and always has been. Thank you to my husband for forwarding this message to me at work, and thank you, Evan, for your spiritual messages, always so on point with the current challenges. Have a blessed day, world!
Thanks so much, Evan, for this very helpful and timely message. And also to Brian for his soul searching and correction – to just love everyone. I was guilty of much the same thinking – feeling very strongly about how I definitely didn’t want one particular candidate and would vote against that individual rather than for who I felt led to believe would be the best. Any negative news about that candidate just fed my wrong thinking. I am now striving to see everyone – political, church, neighbor – as the beloved child of God created and maintained by Him. I know that the government will be upon His shoulders.
Also, thanks diane for referencing Paul Stark Seeley’s article “ONE VOICE, NOT MANY VOICES”. I will look it up.
P.S. I was just remembering how Pilate asked Jesus if he knew what kind of Power he had over him. Jesus’ response was: “You could have no power over me, unless it came from above.” Jesus knew so clearly that True Power, True Government, is always in the Hands of God and he never gave any credence or power to the Rulers of the Roman Empire. We don’t have to give real power to any Politician, either. God is the Only Power and the Government is upon His shoulders. Praise God!
Such an appropriate blog, as all are, and thank you to all of you who commented. I think before I sit down and watch the nightly news, I will reread this blog. It is so easy to get “bogged” down with all of the pontificating going on with all political sides. Many years ago I could not decide who would be the best candidate for President and I decided to write in GOD!! I know some will think that I wasted my vote, but I still stand by that decision, GOD is always in control!!
Thank you again Evan for always meeting our needs!!
I think I would be desperate if I thought mortal mind would be in charge. I do think our current President ,some where along his term, became very spiritually minded. No doubt that is why he has kept his dignity through all the slings and arrows. I know we are shown an edited version of the events in Syria. Not too much of the good is shown. Then the other day there was a TV show on the rising of the civil defense groups or the white hats, Syrians who have chosen to stay and run to the disasters to help people out of the rubble. They were amazing. These people never thought of doing this kind of work and their number is growing. The good can even surface in this war torn country. I think our current political situation is something that has been rising to the surface for a long time, getting louder and louder so we can see it. There will be good in this also.
Thanks again diane. I had difficulty looking up that article by Paul Stark Seeley, but succeeded with the help of JSH-Online and have printed out two copies, one for me and one for a friend.
Here’s a link to the article by Paul Stark Seeley referenced above by Diane:
http://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/2b0whw1z870?s=e
Thank you Brian I just read the article. I’m so grateful that you made it so easy for me. Bless you
Thank you Evan. And thank you Brian and Nadine for your very meaningful and informative comments.
p.s. forgot to thank Diane for mentioning Seeley article and to Brian for getting Link to it. Wonderful article.