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We Are Prophesied!

One day, when I was reading the book of Amos in the Bible, I came upon this statement: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). The idea that everything that God has done and is doing is foretold through prophecy caught my attention. First, I mentally reviewed the great visionaries of Scripture who foresaw and foretold events and ideas that were later fulfilled. It was gratifying to have so much evidence of the presence of God in these people's experiences. Then I began to think of my own being and to consider my own existence. I went back and read Amos again and was struck with his emphatic statement about the requirement of prophecy in spiritual history. The conclusion I came to startled me: If I am not prophesied, I do not exist!

After puzzling over this for some time, I decided that I must have an answer. So I got quiet and asked God, 'Show me where I am prophesied.' I was confident that there was an answer and that God would have to supply it, since no one on earth or of the earth knew. After sitting for some time, I was impelled to open the Bible to wherever it would open. As I did so, my eyes fell upon this verse: "You are one among thousands who keep the Word." My gratitude poured out of me for this precious assurance. It was as if it was written in direct answer to my question. I copied it down on a piece of paper exactly as I read it and then closed the book. After a little while, I felt there was more, so I let the Bible fall open again and saw what was illumined on the page - "Stand still in the church." I remembered the classic saying, "They also serve who only stand and wait" and thought about my spiritual temple (body) as "the structure of Truth and Love," as Mary Baker Eddy defines it (SH 583:12). When I was satisfied that I knew the meaning of that statement, I opened the third time, and all I saw on that page was "keep the treasury." I knew that this treasury was filled with spiritual riches and that man was God's treasure. The Commandments that God told Moses were to be inscribed on men's hearts, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and the Key to Scriptures that Mary Baker Eddy infused in a little open book all reside within this treasury. After a time, I knew there was more, so I opened the Bible a fourth time. The sentence that my eyes rested on was "You will be given a daily provision from the church for singing." My daily provision and assignment was prophesied! These four confirmations of my existence were now indelibly written in my mind, and I copied them down just as I read them. I took no account of the chapters I had opened to, but I could tell you where the verses were located on the pages, printed as plainly as all the rest of the text.

The following day, as I was thinking about what had happened, I decided to go back to the Bible and read the passages around the verses that I was directed to read in order to see the context. Using a computer concordance, I began to search, typing each message as I had copied it down. I could not find a single one, so I started making simpler searches with only a few of the words. Nothing! I was confused and troubled to say the least. How could it be? I had just read these lines the day before! After a few hours of searching, I gave up. I had no answer.

What happened next I can only partially describe because words are inadequate. Directly in front of me, I saw a vision of a most beautiful round smiling face. Oh, how I wish I could share with you the love that framed that smile! Without the moving of lips, I heard, "Well, you asked, and you looked in that book, so I had to put it there for you." Then the vision dissolved. Now my mystery was solved, but more importantly, the whole experience became so much more profound, for I had seen the messenger who had brought it to my consciousness and knew that my opening of the Bible was not happenstance. "He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. . . . thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way" (Isa 19-21).

This profound experience forced me to draw an additional conclusion. Evidently, there is Scripture written in heaven that has not yet been recorded on earth. We must become enabled to finish the work. Is it possible that Christ is just waiting for us to ask?

George Denninger ©

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