Man’s Extremity II

I RECEIVED a letter which ran:

“I am writing you in desperation. I have a sister who is desperately ill. The doctor has operated, but found it impos­sible to move a malignant growth. Four doctors, including a specialist, say there is nothing more to be done….”

“Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” When man has come to the place where there seems to be neither hope nor help left, then it must be admitted that the case rests with the Doer of the Impossible. When man says, “It is impossible,” that is the grand oppor­tunity of Spirit, to whichall things are possible.

One hopeless and helpless case after another is cited in the Bible to show that, when man has reached the limit of his knowledge, the wisdom of God becomes manifest and neu­tralizes all the false testimony of the senses. “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God,” because it is founded on testimony drawn from appearances. The judgment is always false, and the results are also false, founded on such a premise.

When Jesus wept it was not because Lazarus was dead, but because He had stayed so long with Martha and Mary, and yet Martha reverted to the most orthodox views, and said, “Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” What could Jesus—a man—do? Had He, not made it plain: “I can of myself do nothing.” But, nevertheless, we see Him entering the tomb, wherein lay a body that was in a most hope­less state of decomposition, and calling for the Christ in Lazarus to “Come forth.” “‘I’ have power to pick it up and lay it down,” says the Spirit concerning Its body, and, further, “destroy this temple [body] and in three days ‘I’ will raise it up.” Making it clear, for all who have ears, that the “I” —or the Christ-Mind within and without—is able to take care of Its manifestation. “Every plant, which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.”  Every evil growth of belief shall be eliminated by the same Power. There is nothing can withstand the white hot fire of this awakened Power. It consumes the chaff of appearances like so much straw. Nothing can quench it. Nothing can put out the holy blaze of healing which sets in the moment you “Call upon ME in the day of trouble; I WILL deliver thee.” It is Wonderful!

“When ye pray, believe that ye receive.” When you pray the prayer of Recognition, not of credulity, but the prayer of Recogni­tion that God is everywhere present, in every cell, nerve, muscle, vein, bone, and fiber ofyour bodily form, then the whole body, or embodiment, is aflame with this glorious Spirit of The Presence, and in your flesh do you see God manifested—the Word becomes flesh.

The story is told of a woman who received a telegram that her sister was at the point of death, whereupon she went into the temple and prayed for hours that her sister might be healed. On leaving the church she met a friend, and the first thing she said was, “I’ve just received a telegram, and my sister is at the point of death.” How could this be true if she had prayed aright? “The prayer of faith shall save the sick.” And So It Is.

When we speak the Word we do not wonder or guess about the result. The result will always be a hundred per cent successful, whether seen or unseen. It will be seen the moment the agreement is made. When you have prayed for another, it is just as if a legion of Angels, with healing in their wings, were knocking at that consciousness for admit­tance. If they are let in—if the prayer is accepted—then the manifestation is through on the material plane; to the one who has said the prayer with the full acceptance of its result, it is answered. He is at rest. He does not worry, nor is he anxious, because he knows that some time, somewhere, the door will be opened and the light will come to that one for whom the prayer was said. The glorious contemplation of the presence of God, here, there, and everywhere. The body alive, vibrant, and glorious, with the power to “pick it up or lay it down.” It is Wonder­ful!

“When you have accepted the truth that you are in God’s cage, you aye not concerned about what becomes of you. Why should you be con­cerned about yourself in any way, if you aye in God’s cage? When you try to help yourself you aye taking yourself out from under God’s cage, and putting yourself under the cage of some person, or your human reasoning. Per­haps you think they can cage for you better than God can.”

This casting of yourself unreservedly on the Lord does not mean a supine waiting for God to do something for you ; a lackadaisical waiting around for something to happen. It means the glorious state of expectation which has been so amusingly put in the state­ment: “the feel that one gets just before one is going to sneeze.” Yes, a glorious, yet not anxious, state of expectancy which is all alive to the possibilities of instant fulfillment. “Send me, Lord, send me,” is the willingness, but at the same time the awakened state of consciousness of one who has prayed. It is Wonderful! All the anxious thought has gone. Why? Because you have prayed. All the fear of the outcome has gone. Why? Because you have prayed. You have done all that you could do. “Having done all, stand and see the salvation of the Lord,” and verily you shall see it, one way or another. In some way the glorious over-flooding light will come to you to make you know that your prayer is answered. It is Wonderful!Wonderful! Wonderful

I AM glad to be writing this to you. You, who read this very line. We have often come upon problems which seemed impossible to meet, but they have always been met and always will be met, until meeting (or overcoming) them will become so general that the power in the belief of a series of problems, coming always in the life of man, will be so weakened and dissipated that the belief will pass out of its own accord. Finally, the belief in two powers will give place to the God-Consciousness, here, and now, and every­where. It is Wonderful!

What a glorious awakening Lazarus must have had! What a flaming victory must it have been! The wise ones had said it was impossible. Anybody could see that. Yes, anyone with the old standard of judging from appearances could see it, and so can you see it if you take for granted the testi­mony of the senses that is offered you. These beliefs, that are accepted as truth, are some of the fruits of the Tree of Good and Evil, the Tree of Human Knowledge. No wonder “My ways are not your ways.” The ways of Spirit are not the ways of the man who has tasted of the Tree of Good and Evil. “I AM of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” All is iniquity that in any way introduces in harmony into the Kingdom of Heaven. “Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give THEE light.” I said, “Christ shall give ‘THEE’ light “—you, the very one reading this line. Awake, thou—and be alive to The Presence in and through every­thing in the whole universe. It is Glorious! You are aflame with this Light of God-­Love.

” This Flame of Love has been kindled in your soul and is now burning brightly, that all might receive the sparks that dart without and be caught up in this rapture of Heavenly Bliss, and then, having tasted of the Living Water of Life and Living Bread from Heaven, these hidden Mysteries have at last unfolded and have come on the material plane for the susten­ance of the body.” 

Do you begin to see? We are not speaking about some little mental power, akin to will­power, that may be generated by man. We are speaking of the glorious God-Power which is ever in operation whether you see it or not : that Great Presence which is the Flam­ing Light in the midst of thee, the ” Light which shineth in darkness,” which eventually becomes the ” Light that is set upon a hill.” This light cannot be hidden finally, for the old material beliefs are getting thinner and thinner. One stone after another of human knowledge is being cast aside, and always the Light shines on, steady and clear.

“This Flame of Love has been kindled in your soul.”

Do you hear? This very Flame of Love is already kindled in your soul, and the glow­ing rays of its Light are penetrating the dark beliefs, and scattering all sorts of shadows. They flee away at THY coming. It is Wonder­ful! Into the darkened temple of your body comes this Light and drives from it all the hideous shadows of human beliefs. The temple is made a fit dwelling-place for the Lord.

Just as a rubber ball is gripped in the hand and the contour destroyed, just so any organ of the body can be gripped in the belief of human thought and distorted. It is only when the Power is recognized as everywhere present that this belief in evil is let go, and the normal functioning of the body takes place again. It is Wonderful!

This great Cosmic Mind, or God, will finally be accepted by man, and the translation from earth to Heaven will take place. Not a change of locality, but a change of mentality. Not a going anywhere, but a Recognition of the HERE and the NOW of Perfection; yes, a conscious Recognition that at last we are “bearing the image of the heavenly.” We must bring all these promises up to the present tense, or else they are only stories to us. They must be brought to the NOW of Spirit, no matter how impossible the situa­tion seems. It is Wonderful!

“This universal Cosmic Mind will trans­late mankind from the depths of their darkness into the heights of Glory, wherein all will remember no more the days of the hard task­master, but only the Oneness of the Spirit, Mind, Body, and Soul to the Infinite Whole.”

The “hard taskmaster” is the false, human mind, which has believed that man’s days are few and full of trouble. If this be the truth, then why continue the farce, and why fill the minds of children with false hopes about the future? Innately, man knows that it is not the Truth; he senses somewhere —in the back of his consciousness, as it were—the vision of this perfection, this glorious freedom and joy, as part of his Divine Heritage, and which he means to reclaim some time. Only, nearly always the appear­ances become so real, and so terrible, that he falls by the way, because he finally accepts them as true. Presently, however, man will understand that he is “This side of the Cross,” that the crucifixion is finished, and now has come the full salvation to the child of the Living God. It is Wonderful! And So It Is.

Life ceases to be a continual steeplechase of problems across a desert, with nothing in sight, even if man makes the goal. The endless running from one oasis to another, with stretches of hot, burning sands of human experiences between, is hardly a picture one cares to contemplate, and yet it is all the human life has to offer. No wonder, then,the Voice says, ” Awake, THOU that sleepest . . . and Christ shall give thee light.” ‘But this command is only a poetic fancy until you become this”thou” and you arise and say, “Here AM I Lord, send me.”

When you know God as Life, you will not have to worry any more about your living. Take, then, the various attributes of Him and know Him as Love and Joy, Health and Happiness, and a thousand and one other things—and at the same time ” Be still, and know that I AM God.” Always must it be brought up to the first person and present tense, or else you are merely talking of and about a Power. Do you begin to see the difference between this God-Presence as the Power Itself, searching “the joints and marrow” of your very life, and a Power which only comes into action if you have thought sufficiently about it ? It is Glorious and Wonderful! “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,” the Waters of Life, and drink freely! What do you suppose would happen if a person drank of the “Waters of Life” freely? He would never thirst again, that is sure, neither could he ever perish so long as he never thirsted again. Do you see—you who read this line? I speak to you.

I AM glad to write this to you. I speak out of a full heart. It Is So.And So It Is.

A deepening of consciousness is taking place within you. You are beginning to understand that Truth is not merely some­thing to be used in the case of sickness, but is the very Life-Principle Itself. When a healing is made, the patient becomes aware —either consciously or unconsciously—of the Presence of this Wholeness.

“My Peace I leave with you, and in the Peace you will find the union of Love, joy, Happiness, and Strength, as well as Wisdom, and the Infinite Blessings of Life. For you are ever as I AM, well, healthy, joyful, peaceful,lively, loving, successful, prosperous, and happy in Spirit, Body, and Mind, and in every organ, muscle, sinew, vein, and bone, and even in every atom, fiber, and cell of my bodily form.”

Do you realize Now somewhat of the glory that is contained in the gift, “My Peace I give unto you “—You, the reader of this line? Do not fear, do not be afraid. “My peace I leave with you.” It is not something that comes and goes; once the gift is accepted it remains, because it is left with you as a state of consciousness. “Not as the world giveth, give I unto thee,” not a temporary sense of peace. ” Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye believe in Me, believe also in HIM that sent ME into expression.”

This peace is a glorious, active, healthy, living peace which quickens man into expres­sion, and at the same time gives him that lovely sense of poise and balance so essential to real expression.

“The peace of God which passeth all understanding ” is this very peace which cannot be bought, grown, or taken by violence. It must be accepted as a gift of God. “God’s promises are kept”; one of them is ” My peace I give unto you,” and it is instantly fulfilled when man accepts it as HIS very own, Here and Now. It is Wonderful!

When you are still, then the “Angel of His Presence” is enveloping you. The ” Spirit of the Consciousness of the Presence of God ” is in action, neutralizing the human fears and beliefs.

I say unto thee, ” Arise, shine; for thy light has come,” and “the Glory of God has risen upon thee.”

 

Walter C. Lanyon