Recognising God’s Help in Everything
Paramahamsa Vishwananda teaches us that Bhagavan is hiding inside everybody; we just need some time to recognise Him. This is the connection that we all have. We are not connected outside, through the body or through the blood. Different people have come from different wombs of different mothers, but what connects us all is what we have within the heart. It’s the same Lord, the Supreme Lord, seated in all hearts.
Krishna explains this in the Bhagavad Gita when He says that the world like like a string of pearls in which He is the thread that connects them all.
But why did He manifest creation? Paramahamsa Vishwananda says that ‘The Supreme Lord has to manifest Himself in order to understand His creation, meaning He has to lower Himself. So, He manifests Himself endlessly through each person, each part of creation to experience His own creation. And through that, you will notice that He is acting through each one of you.’
And if for no other reason than that, it’s worth having gratitude and appreciation for life as it is instead of taking it for granted. It is the Lord Himself who has manifested in each particle within you and acts in this world in many ways. Once you attain realisation, you will realise that every being is a manifestation of the Supreme Lord.
‘It is the Lord Himself experiencing His creation. That’s why this world was created. That’s why this universe was created. That’s why each one of you was created.’ - Paramahamsa Vishwananda
What Happens When We Fail to Recognise God’s Help
This whole notion is probably best illustrated by a parable Paramahamsa Vishwananda tells in His book Just Love: A Journey into the Heart of God.
Once in a town there was a man, who had great faith in God. He believed in God, and trusted in God with all his heart. One fine day, there was such a heavy downfall that everything started to flood. So, the authorities came and told the people, ‘Listen, we have to evacuate this place because soon there will be a big flood.’ As there was a dam there, the dam was expected to overflow, and then everything around would be washed away.
But this man was so adamant and was very clear about his faith, belief and trust in God, so he said, ‘No, God will save me.’
As the rain would not stop, the water level started to rise. So, many were evacuated. Then, as the water rose to half of the man’s house, the authorities sent a boat. When the boat came, he said, ‘No, no, no, go away. I don’t need you.’ So, they could not force him. The water kept rising, and finally he was on the roof, so the authorities sent a helicopter.
They said, ‘Come, we will save you.’ He said, ‘No, no, no, God will save me. My faith will save me. My belief will save me. Alleluia.’ So, as they could not take him, he eventually drowned.
Of course, he died, and he went to Heaven. The gate opened up and a very angry man entered Heaven, saying, ‘I have to have a word with God.’
So, the messengers of God said, ‘You can’t talk with Him.’ He said, ‘Yes, I can. I am very angry with Him.’ Seeing the situation they called God, ‘God, listen, there is an angry person who wants to meet You.’
God said, ‘Okay, send him up to Me.’
When he saw God, he said in a very angry way, ‘God! Why did You not save me? I had so much faith, belief and trust in You, You should have saved me!’
And God said, ‘Hey, wait one minute, my dear. I tried My best to save you. First I sent buses to evacuate you; you said no. Then I sent a boat to go and save you; you said, no, you didn’t want it. Then I sent a helicopter. How come you said that I didn’t try to save you? It’s just that you didn’t recognise My help any of those times.’
How Can We Learn to Recognise God’s Help?
The omnipresence of God teaches us that He is not up in the clouds, far away from us. He is inside the heart of every living being, waiting to be recognized. Once we accept this common denominator we have with the rest of the world, Love overflows. Jealousy, competition and feelings of spite merge and disappear with the fact that it is God that acts through us.
There is the saying, 'God works in mysterious ways'. It is true! We can never grasp the mystery of His plans for us, but sometimes this might lead us to question God on how He should be acting. We might expect Him to even come in a physical form from heaven and save us from the flood, or we might think that would be the only way He would help us. But those limitations only prevent us from seeing the hand of God in all that is and all that occurs.
- Calm Your Mind: When you chant the Divine Names, it not only calms your mind but also opens your heart to Divine Love within yourself and in the world around you. In that calmness, noticing every single moment given by God becomes easier.
- Let Go Of Expectations: We have clarified that the human mind is not capable of comprehending the ways of God, whether they are indeed mysterious or big neon signs in front of us. You need to let go of your expectations on how God should reveal himself to you. As we let go of expectations, we also let go of the limits we put on Him to reach us.
- Practice Gratitude: Gratitude is focusing on finding happiness in what you currently have, rather than focusing on what you lack and anticipating happiness through acquiring something more. It is a practice of appreciation for the life you’ve been given. As we cultivate love and appreciation for what we have been given, we get to see every single moment as a gift from God. So, the divine interventions don’t stop with being limited to the moment of crisis, but they become every breath we take.
He will always provide guidance and He will always save us. The part we get to play is striving to see His Divinity and his divine intervention all around us, at all times.
You do not have to run away to a cave or an ashram to become a yogi. Learning to live spiritually, no matter where you are, is a key part of spiritual advancement and transformation. Learn how with a free guide on living spiritually in the material world.
