February 21st 2014 Lesson 339
Part II Introduction
We will continue spending time with God each morning and night and at each waking hour, using all future lessons as introductions to the times in which we leave the world of pain, and go to enter peace, calling to God when we have need of Him as we are tempted to forget our goal. During these holy times, we will say some simple words of welcome, and expect our Father to reveal Himself to us, as He has promised that He would when we invited Him.
This is how our times with Him will now be spent: we say the words of invitation that His Voice suggests, and then we wait for Him to come to us. Sit silently and wait upon your Father. He has willed to come to you when you have recognized it is your will He do so. We need only call to God, and all temptations disappear. Instead of words, we need but feel His Love. Instead of prayers, we need but call His Name. Instead of judging, we need but be still and let all things be healed.
Our lessons will now be preceded by a theme of special relevance that we should review before each lesson until another is given us. They should be slowly read and thought about a little while, preceding one of the holy times we sit in silence and wait for God to reveal Himself to us. The next of these special thoughts follow and are relevant to lessons 331 - 340:12. What Is the Ego?
The ego is idolatry; the sign of a limited and separated self, born in a body, doomed to suffer and to end its life in death. It is the "will" that sees the Will of God as enemy, and takes a form in which it is denied. The ego is the "proof" that strength is weak and love is fearful, life is really death, and what opposes God alone is true.
The ego is insane. In fear it stands beyond the Everywhere, apart from All, in separation from the Infinite. In its insanity it thinks it has become a victor over God Himself. And in its terrible autonomy it "sees" the Will of God has been destroyed. It dreams of punishment, and trembles at the figures in its dreams; its enemies, who seek to murder it before it can ensure its safety by attacking them.
The Son of God is egoless. What can he know of madness and the death of God, when he abides in Him? What can he know of sorrow and of suffering, when he lives in eternal joy? What can he know of fear and punishment, of sin and guilt, of hatred and attack, when all there is surrounding him is everlasting peace, forever conflict-free and undisturbed, in deepest silence and tranquility?
To know reality is not to see the ego and its thoughts, its works, its acts, its laws and its beliefs, its dreams, its hopes, its plans for its salvation, and the cost belief in it entails. In suffering, the price for faith in it is so immense that crucifixion of the Son of God is offered daily at its darkened shrine, and blood must flow before the altar where its sickly followers prepare to die.
Yet will one lily of forgiveness change the darkness into light; the altar to illusions to the shrine of Life Itself. And peace will be restored forever to the holy minds which God created as His Son, His dwelling place, His joy, His love, completely His, completely one with Him.
Lesson 339
I will receive whatever I request.
- No one desires pain. But he can think that pain is pleasure. No one would avoid his happiness. But he can think that joy is painful, threatening and dangerous. Everyone will receive what he requests. But he can be confused indeed about the things he wants; the state he would attain. What can he then request that he would want when he receives it? He has asked for what will frighten him, and bring him suffering. Let us resolve today to ask for what we really want, and only this, that we may spend this day in fearlessness, without confusing pain with joy, or fear with love.
- Invitation Prayer: Father, this is Your day. It is a day in which I would do nothing by myself, but hear Your Voice in everything I do; requesting only what You offer me, accepting only Thoughts You share with me.
Insights/comments:
- It may not seem that we always get what we request, but the eternal and often surprising truth is that we do in every circumstance, because all requests are ultimately made to God, who always fully answers the requests of His holy children. The reason why we don’t always recognize that God has answered our request, is because we are not always aware that we have made a request, and even when we are aware, we do not always recognize the implications of what we request, or the fact that our current request may conflict with another request, causing both to be cancelled, or in some cases the answer seems to be more than what we requested. An analogy to illustrate this is the difference between trowing a single pebble into a still pond, which ripples out in smooth concentric circles, as opposed to the chaotic rippling caused by a handful of pebbles. The effect of the single pebble is easily seen, but the effect of a handful of pebbles is more difficult to see or even calculate due to the canceling or compounding of interacting waves. Like that, the results of certain requests can be canceled or compounded if they interact with other requests. The thing to remember is that all requests are answered and all are beneficial and edifying, whether or not we recognize them, and as such it is best to treat each result we experience as the best answer to one or more prior requests. Obviously, the clearer we are in our request, the clearer we will recognize the results.
- The fundamental reason why we do not recognize that God answers all our requests lies in our confusion about who we really are, and so we request only what is in accord with our belief about ourselves, and with what we believe we deserve. The way out of such thinking is to realize our true identity as the holy children of God: perfect, Spirit, free!, and that we can be, do and have anything we request. Changing what we believe about ourselves begins by experiencing, through meditation or other means, the divinity at the core of our being, and remembering and extending this awareness in all states of being. As this awareness becomes established in us, we will recognize more and more, the fact that we never have to face any seemingly difficult task by ourselves, for God is always with us, constantly providing the exact guidance we need in every circumstance. God, being omniscient and benevolent, always answers our requests in the way that best promotes our edification, even when we don’t recognize the wisdom of His solutions. Neither would He be partial only to some of of His Children, so it follows logically that we all do receive whatever we request.
I and my Creator are One. 
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