Lesson 4
WHERE IS GOD?
Nona L. Brooks
Short Lessons in Divine Science
© 1940 by Nona Brooks
Divine Science Federation International
Denver, 6th ed., 1973
Purpose: To make God’s universality and His immediacy still more vivid to the student, and to show that Truth, wherever found, is One.
[17] All flesh shall come to worship before me, saith the Lord. –Isaiah 66:23.
And they shall not teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. –Hebrews 8:11.
Schiller says, “There are three words that I would write in tracings of eternal light upon the hearts of men.” And these three words are faith, hope, and love; the same that Paul chose for his wonderful discourse.
There is one word that I would write upon the hearts of men–Omnipresence.
Omnipresence! Repeat it to yourself; say it often; get the fullness of its meaning. It can never grow old; it will never become threadbare; it can never wear out. I prefer it to faith, hope, and love, because it is greater than these. Omnipresence is beyond hope; it is fulfilment. It is greater than either faith or love, because it includes these, and more within itself. Omnipresence, the All-Presence, the Presence that is always present!
This Presence is around us right now, and It is in us; It is around, through, and in all; It fills heaven and earth.
[18] The Presence dwells everywhere even to the uttermost parts of the Universe, now and forever.
What is our name for Omnipresence? “The Presence that filleth all.” We love to speak of it as God, the Father, Infinite Mind, Source and Cause, Principle. It, in fact, makes but little difference what name we use; the vital matter is that we understand this Presence, and live in the consciousness of It.
A gentleman came in one day to ask, “What is Divine Science?” I had talked with him only a few moments, when he said, “I see that you base your teachings on God and the Bible. Now, friend, I wish to say in all kindness that you will never have a live religion as long as you cling to those fossilized ideas.”
Then he proceeded to give his own idea of the eternal realities. He told me that there were two things that I must bear in mind in order to understand him. First, that he never soared away into infinity as most people did when talking religion; he never went above the tree-tops. And, secondly, that he was a materialist. “You say all is spirit; I say all is matter.” Rather uncompromising at first glance, wasn’t it? The remainder of his creed was interesting. He carried matter back to the most subtle form conceivable, back to the atom, back of the theory of ether. This rarefied matter was everywhere, and from it and within it all action, all creation takes place. His name for this omnipresence was atomic energy. I said, “May I ask you a few questions to be sure that I understand you?” My request was granted.
[19] “This atomic energy is everywhere?”
“Yes.”
“It makes everything?”
“Yes.”
“It works methodically, according to law and order, and knows what is going to be the result of its action?”
“Yes.”
“It knows its own nature, that it is omnipresent, that it can do all things, and how all things are done?”
“Yes.”
“Then,” I said, “we are much nearer together than you think; we have the same idea of Omnipresence; you call it atomic energy, we call it God. We have the same idea of substance; you call it matter; we call it Spirit. We vary in terms, but not in the idea that these terms represent. This is the essential unity.”
There are times when it seems necessary to set forth the difference between what we believe and what others believe. When this is necessary, we do it fearlessly, but always in love. However, I see clearly that the oneness of faith we so much desire will never be brought about by our emphasizing this difference, but rather by a constant recognition of that in which we agree. I love to dwell on points of similarity and unity; I love to feel my oneness with others. Next to this joy is that of knowing that they, too, are conscious of the existence of this unity. [20] No matter how much we may differ in minor points, if we stand together in the consciousness of Omnipresence, not only is our basis one, but our motives, our aims, our accomplishments are also one. The only difference is in the method employed to carry out our purpose.
The realization of Omnipresence! Please go back of the word, every time I use it; go in thought to Omnipresence Itself.
The realization of the Presence will bring to us wonderful consciousness not only of our oneness with God but of our unity with all mankind.
This is the foundation of all the good that we may do our fellow men, of all the help we can give them. We can not go into the slums of our large cities with the manner of superior beings sent from a different sphere to a peculiar people, and lead them away from the vice and filth to their own true selves. On the other hand, we, who through consciousness of Omnipresence, come into a true understanding of brotherhood, can extend our hands to these needy ones as man to man, brother to brother, and lead them out of every condition into the understanding of God as a loving Father, and of men as one with Him and one with each other. Herein lies the salvation of the world, and the only salvation there is, for this is Truth, the Christ-Principle.
Omnipresence teaches us that in the depths of each man’s heart, no matter how frivolous he may be, or how material and degraded he may seem, there is a consciousness of God.
Feeble, perhaps, in some; but it is there. This consciousness longs to spread itself, to grow [21] until it takes entire possession of the individual. You and I knowing this, may speak to this great consciousness, not always with the lips, but with the heart, always. Let us recognize its presence, and encourage its progress by this steadfast recognition, until we find ourselves in heart to heart comradeship with those we touch in the day’s work. In this way alone can we stand side by side with them, and help them to realize their ideal of the purer, truer life; for the ideal is there within each one and it may be realized.
The noblest, the most sacred, the happiest mission in life is to help our fellow men to a higher realization. The privilege of helping is ours. Realization of Omnipresence brings us into closer relation with our fellow men; it introduces into our daily lives that element of love whose warmth and brightness is much needed here.
It brings us into relationship with all that men have believed the world over, for as we take a greater interest in mankind, we desire to know men better, and we are interested in their views on vital subjects. Our desire is to know how much of Truth has been revealed to men, and how much of Omnipresence they have realized. This desire leads us to pay attention to the different faiths presented to the world; and we are glad to find, as we always shall, if we investigate, that there is not so much difference in the teachings of the various religions as we had imagined. For if we are willing to go back of the form of worship, back of the word to the heart of each, no matter how material it may seem at first, we shall find Omnipresence declaring Itself even there.
[22] The following quotations from Ebers give, he says, a brief summary of what have been found to be some of the secret teachings of the Egyptian priesthood, kept secret because they thought that they could disclose these to the favored few only, who on account of special virtue or wisdom, were ready to comprehend them.
“We know that the Godhead is one; we name it ‘The All,’ ‘The Veil of the All,’ or simply Ra; but under the name, Ra, we understand something different from that which is known to the common herd; for to us the universe is God and, in each of its parts, we recognize a manifestation of that highest Being without whom nothing is, in the heights above or in the depths below. * * * *
“Whether we view the sun, the harvest, or the Nile, whether we contemplate with admiration the harmony or unity of the visible or the invisible world, still it is always with the only, the all-embracing One that we have to do, to whom we also ourselves belong as those of His manifestations in which he places His self-consciousness.”
Again we read, “All that He–the One–has created is penetrated with His own essence and bears witness to His goodness. He who knows how to find Him, sees Him everywhere, and lives at every instant in the enjoyment of His glory.”
I quote this simply as an illustration of what I have just said about finding the unity in all religions. Even in this form of worship, outwardly so idolatrous, when we get back of the outward form, we find our own perception of God’s Presence and Power.
[23] Our oneness with God, with our fellow men and with the Truth as it is found in all religions is a result of a realization of Omnipresence.
There is still something more that Omnipresence reveals to us–our oneness with the entire creation. When we understand this, it is very precious to us; for man is restored to his rightful position of unity with, instead of subjection to, the visible. When we look upon the mountains, the plains, the flowers, the trees, and the animal world, let us say within ourselves, “The same Power that formed my body formed them; the same Presence that dwells in me, is in them.” We are one, for are we not the same in origin, in substance, and in life? Then, indeed, shall we find “sermons in stones, books in running brooks, and good in everything.” With this understanding comes the realization of our true dominion, and of our perfect freedom from so-called physical law.
Our realization of Omnipresence does not make it true, but because it is true we may realize it; and this realization will broaden our individuality to the length, breadth, height, and depths of the Universe. There is but one thing that Omnipresence does not include and that is– What shall I call it? Ignorance, false beliefs, darkness, sin. Call it what you will.
That which is opposed to God–of an opposite nature–has no place in Omnipresence for, broad as it is, there is room for but one, and that one is God.”
“I am God, and there is none else.” –Isa. 45:22.
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