Essay 25: THE SECURITY OF UNMERITED FAVOR

“I, like Jacob, fight Thee for Thy security. Give it to me.” (Esoteric Philosophy page 87:7)

In the rich stories of the Bible, the characters we find there represent various states of consciousness that we all have moved through, are in now, or will encounter as we walk our spiritual journeys and return to Original Mind. The character of Jacob, introduced in the book of Genesis, shows a particular consciousness that we all can relate to in one way or another.

Very much under the hypnosis of matter and worldly affairs, Jacob finds himself tied to and in the bondage of earthly laws, rules, as well as to the way things are often done to be successful and prosperous in the world. One could say that Jacob was a “wheeler dealer” in his time, manipulating this, tweaking that, doing and saying nearly anything that would gain him favor and advantage in the material sense. Underlying the activities of a Jacob consciousness, we find fear, insecurity, and that most crippling of human illusions: “I am not enough.”

Jacob comes to a situation in which he is doing everything he can think of to preserve his family, possessions, the body of his affairs, and even his own life. Despite his efforts, he is beset on all sides by the appearance of insurmountable odds. It is here that Jacob, at his own wit’s end, is alone with Reality, alone with God. Instead of surrender, instead of giving in, instead of “looking toward” his Divine Birthright, Jacob chooses to grapple, to bargain, to even wrestle with God throughout the night, his dark night of the soul.

Jacob approaches his union with the Divine through the looking-glass of his own human personality.

Who among us can say that, consciously or unconsciously, we do not approach Immortal Mind in the very same way at times? Jacob railed, wrestled, struggled, and demanded a blessing from God, a blessing that might enhance or preserve his earthly life but would leave his Sacred Heart barren and unexposed. “I will not let You go until you bless me.” (Gen. 32:26) Like Jacob, we often attempt to bring paradigms and doctrines of our earthly nature to our quest for reunion with Original Mind and, like Jacob, are brought to our knees by our need to struggle in such a way.

What we earn, merit, and attain in the material world of shadow we gain by a belief in work, effort, thought, and by “wrestling” with conditions. We error (sin) when we attempt, consciously or unconsciously, to apply earthly rules to our return to that which knows nothing of conditions, struggle, effort, or ego. This attachment to using human means exhibits itself in a myriad of subtle ways. There is nothing that keeps Security, Meekness and Grace (Unmerited Favor) at a distance but our own ideas, just as it was for Jacob.

Grace is the activity of Unmerited Favor. It cannot be earned, bargained for, worked toward, or attained by effort; It simply IS. It was given before time and before the world was and has never been withheld. It is revealed by our attention, by our “looking toward.” Unmerited Favor is Security because nothing opposes It, nothing earthly touches It. Unmerited Favor is where the dissonance of earthly life gives way forever to the resonance of Being.

The Adam-man in us feels pride in earthly accomplishment and attainment. Pride is the error-thought that results from doctrine where struggle, hard work, effort, and “my word” prevail; the world overcomes us. Bringing forth as meekness shows us that wherever Truth is exposed, It is simply given; we have overcome the world. Unmerited Favor dissolves the doctrine of “by my own hand” and announces True Freedom where living comes forth from Being, ideas give way to Ideal, and “my word” surrenders to the Word.

Each of us, during a given day, or when face-to-face with any condition or circumstance, is free to ask, “Am I Jacob or am I Jesus Christ?” “Do I control or does I AM command as me?” “Am I living or am I Being?”