LESSON 42 God is my strength. Vision is His gift.

1. 1The idea for today combines two very powerful thoughts, both of major importance. 2It also sets forth a cause and effect relationship that explains why you cannot fail in your efforts to achieve the goal of the course. 3You will see because it is the Will of God. 4It is His strength, not your own, that gives you power. 5And it is His gift, rather than your own, that offers vision to you.

2. 1God is indeed your strength, and what He gives is truly given. 2This means that you can receive it any time and anywhere, wherever you are, and in whatever circumstance you find yourself. 3Your passage through time and space is not at random. 4You cannot but be in the right place at the right time. 5Such is the strength of God. 6Such are His gifts.

3. 1We will have two three-to-five-minute practice periods today, one as soon as possible after you wake, and another as close as possible to the time you go to sleep. 2It is better, however, to wait until you can sit quietly by yourself, at a time when you feel ready, than it is to be concerned with the time as such.

4. 1Begin these practice periods by repeating the idea for today slowly, with your eyes open, looking about you. 2Then close your eyes and repeat the idea again, even slower than before. 3After this, try to think of nothing except thoughts that occur to you in relation to the idea for the day. 4You might think, for example:

5Vision must be possible. 6God gives truly,

or:

7God’s gifts to me must be mine, because He gave them to me.

5. 1Any thought that is clearly related to the idea for today is suitable. 2You may, in fact, be astonished at the amount of course-­related understanding some of your thoughts contain. 3Let them come without censoring unless you find your mind is merely wandering, and you have let obviously irrelevant thoughts in­trude. 4You may also reach a point where no thoughts at all seem to come to mind. 5If such interferences occur, open your eyes and repeat the thought once more while looking slowly about; close your eyes, repeat the idea once more, and then continue to look for related thoughts in your mind.

6. 1Remember, however, that active searching for relevant thoughts is not appropriate for today’s exercises. 2Try merely to step back and let the thoughts come. 3If you find this difficult, it is better to spend the practice period alternating between slow repetitions of the idea with eyes open, then with eyes closed, than it is to strain to find suitable thoughts.

7. 1There is no limit on the number of short practice periods that would be beneficial today. 2The idea for the day is a beginning step in bringing thoughts together, and teaching you that you are studying a unified thought system in which nothing is lacking that is needed, and nothing is included that is contradictory or irrelevant.

8. 1The more often you repeat the idea during the day, the more often you will be reminding yourself that the goal of the course is important to you, and that you have not forgotten it.