Peace Center Church, 126th Street, N.Y.C.
FATHER DIVINE:
Peace! That was a wonderful thought offered a little while ago by the lady whose name I do not claim or bear record of. It is a wonderful thought to not understand; because if you understand, why then, you need not any help. Any person that can understand, why then, they do not need help; for GOD'S Ways are past finding out.
'How un searchable are His Ways!'
They cannot be found out. There are many may say, "I understand."
They may understand to some extent, some sketch of a reflection of a percent
of a percent of a percent of a percent of some view or some thought, but to understand
in reality all of GOD'S Ways -- who can say they do understand and who will be
able to understand?
To understand it is not necessary. You do not need to understand; what you need to do is to believe and observe that which you are commanded to do. GOD'S Ways are past finding out! I do not try to understand what I AM going to say. I do not try to understand what I AM going to say before I sit down. I know I have within and without, the Allness, that which brings forth the understanding into expression or into manifestation; shortly I might say, into consciousness. But in consciousness the understanding of the hidden mysteries of GOD are not brought into outer expression or into manifestation consciously. Therefore to understand it, would not need be faith. You could see and understand everything. Understand means to see, to see anything, don't you see? Hence, when I say, "Don't you see?" I mean, don't you understand?
Faith is the thing to hope for; it is the understanding of the thing that you do not understand, the evidence of the thing not seen. You are supposed to live by faith and not by sight; not by what you understand. It is the evidence of the thing you do not understand, that is the meaning of it. Now I did not understand that I was going to say that when I first arose; I did not have it. I brought it up in My understanding as I needed to utilize it or express it or unfold it. That is the great significance of the great vocabulary of the Infinite One. That is the great significance of the natural person's mind.
The subconscious mind is the vocabulary for the things of the present and the past, but kept in the subconscious storehouse and the subconsciousness of you until you get ready for it. You are not thinking about it right now before I say, "Do you know the alphabet?" Now you thought of it. You had forgotten all about it; you were thinking about ME. You had forgotten all about saying your English alphabet; you did not know how to say it until you thought of it then, because it had gone from your conscious mentality into your subconscious mind, the storehouse for all things. When it is called to mind spontaneously or instantaneously it rises to the surface of your conscious mentality so that you can then understand.
All of one's wisdom and understanding could not be understood by an individual at the same time consciously. You do not understand how, but you do not understand the multiplication table; now you understand it. Because you had forgotten about it until I said it; not you understand it. Consciously you were not thinking about it, it was out of your conscious mentality, but you had it in your subconscious mind, the storehouse for your mentality, for your intellect. Then all facts are kept there as records to be called upon when they are needed. It is Wonderful!
So it is a wonderful blessing when you admit and do not try to understand, but believe and live an evangelical life. I do not tell you to live after the manner of ME particularly, but live an evangelical life according to the life and teachings of CHRIST as recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and let this mind be in you that was also in Him; then some things you will understand; that is, them of which has been said:
'Seek ye first the Kingdom of GOD and His righteousness -- His right-use- ness -- and all things will be added unto you.'
But remember that the just shall live by not understanding. It is good that you
do not understand because intelligent people that understand, why, they are worrying
their heads off! Because you are ignorant enough not to understand and think
foolishly, why then, you are living by that. The just shall live not by understanding;
it is by faith. For "faith is the substance of the thing hoped for, it is
the evidence of the thing not seen." Then do not you see? And right then,
if you see -- that means -- do not you understand? Still then it means it is
the evidence of the thing not understood.
That is what all this mystery is about or is expressing; it is expressing the thing that you do not understand. It is Wonderful! Now some may surmise and suppose many things or suspect many things; they do suspect. Let them or any organization in the world do what they suspect that I do, and let them do it all they can and see if they can do as I do. See if they can have as I have. It is Wonderful! "I suspect, I imagine HE gets His money this way and that way and the other way." Well, let them do all the ways that they think I do and see how much they will have! Then see if they can feed ME and a few hundred every day! Let them do the things that I do, and let them do all the things that they suspect I do, and see if they can do as I do. It is Wonderful!
They said: "Well, I imagine He sends them out as help and He takes their money." Well, why do not they send them out too? "He has people give Him money and He sends solicitors out." Well, let them try all these plans and see if they can do as I do.
So you see that the just shall live by the thing that they do not understand; the just shall live by faith.
'Therefore being justified by faith you have peace with GOD.'
Therefore being justified by not being intelligent enough to understand, you
have peace with GOD. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by not understanding.
It is a wonderful blessing that you do not understand. If you understood it would
not be a mystery but to you it is to be a mystery. To GOD there is no mystery
and to you it is but something new discovered, but to GOD there is nothing new
discovered. So you will be blest to have these new discoveries and new inventions
and so forth, because to GOD there is nothing newly invented for there is nothing
new under the sun to GOD. So you are blest to not understand. It is Wonderful!
You know, when you were a child -- I mean, some of you that may be (not saying that any one of you are old) about thirty or forty years ago, when you thought that Santa Claus came because you were good and brought you nice things for Christmas, you felt good, didn't you? You felt happy when you thought Santa Claus came down the chimney; so if you lived by faith you would always be looking for Santa Claus to come on Christmas, and when you found out that your mother and father were Santa Claus, you did not enjoy it like you had done.
'A prophet is without honor in his own country.'
Therefore, it is expedient for you not to know and understand, for you will live
and be happy a long time by not understanding; but as soon as you understand
and find out that you are God sure enough and find out that you are as much God
as anybody else, why then, you will not live long. You will be like lots of gods
up here in Harlem when you are as much god as anybody else. But when you just
live by not understanding, but by faith, why then, you are abundantly blest.
It is true that it is the same GOD in one and the same GOD in all and the testimony
is true, but if you do not understand that -- it is Wonderful!
So, the just shall live by not understanding. Stamp that on the consciousness of your mind, your conscious mind, so that it may remain there a while until it is substantiated and becomes to be a part of it, and then if it gets down in your subconscious mind spontaneously as it is needful it can and will come forth whensoever you call upon it.
Now someone said: "Well, where did He get such understanding from?" Well anyway, if you do not understand, why then, the understanding will come, for the just shall live by not understanding; because that understanding will come by not understanding. And oh, how happy you can be when you live by not understanding; but when you try to live by understanding, why then, you will get lost in your world of understanding and you will not be in the misunderstanding of things, which is in the Spirit realm, in the world of GOD'S understanding. I have heard you sing the song:
'I am Thine, dear Lord, I have heard Thy Voice and it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in Thy arms of faith and be closer drawn to Thee;
Consecrate me now....'
When your mind is lost in GOD, why then, you do not understand and you do not
try to understand. Then you are consecrated to service by the power of Grace
Divine and your soul looks up to GOD above with a steadfast hope by not understanding.
Because, if you understand all these things and all these sayings, why then,
you need not look up to anything or anyone, for you will be as the thought was
conveyed by the Almighty when HE called Job in question. You will be as the thought
that was conveyed by the Almighty to Job when HE called Job in question. He wanted
to know where and when all these things happened and HE said he was so wise and
so righteous and so holy and there was no answer could be brought forth by the
mouth of Job. Because it was in his understanding wherein he tried to understand
other things. But the understanding to bring forth or to put forth that answer,
he had not. And so it is with those of you that think you know more than GOD
and think that you are more holy than anybody else. So it is better not to know
or understand; then you live by faith. I thank you.
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