“Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.” (Psalm 103:20).
Giving voice to God’s word means not simply spending time with it during my time of private prayer, then forgetting about it until the next private prayer session. It means keeping the word alive within me, letting it speak to me throughout the day, as much as is practically possible.
In the allegory of the Trial (SH 430-442), it is noticeable that the patient, at first, is not giving voice to God’s word at all. In fact, he is doing the opposite, allowing himself to give voice to the words of his accuser. Instead of using the sword of the Spirit, the Word, to silence his accusers, they multiply. The patient, without objection, actually invites them to take the floor and completely dominate the courtroom proceedings. Throughout this time of toxic self-talk, the Word is given no voice whatsoever, and, predictably, the patient’s suffering increases until the voice of the death-sentence croaks triumphantly at last in the Wordless courtroom. For me, the wisdom of this lesson cries out: how much trouble could this patient have avoided had he simply disciplined himself to give voice to the Word of God during his time of trial!
After 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus did not waste an instant of time listening to satan. Instead, Jesus immediately gave voice to the scriptures that, only a moment before, he held within himself like a sheathed sword.
The allegory of the trial ends happily as the patient unsheathes the sword of God’s Word, gives voice to the mighty promises from that book of the Law which is weightier than Blackstone: the Bible (SH 437). In understanding the Law’s opinion of himself, with the help of his advocate, Christian Science, the patient at last triumphs over death.
In time of need, giving voice (spoken or unspoken) to the Word means allowing it to remain alive within me instead of letting it lie dormant, that is, allowing myself to remain unconscious of it. This awareness, this abiding consciousness of the Word, not only drives off error, but it attracts and multiplies angel-thoughts around me, which will also minister to me as they ministered to Jesus, preparing him for the next level of service.