Description
It is said that once each year, during one of the great celebrations in the temple at Jerusalem, the high priest would come out on the temple steps, and amidst the shouting of the multitude proclaim the sacred name of God, which was the word of power. But he proclaimed it only when there was such a din and noise that no one could hear it.
It is also said that this word was written and deposited in the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies, that frequently someone would discover it, but that there were two lions guarding the gateway to the temple and when the person who had discovered the word of power came through the doorway, the lions roared in such a terrific manner that the person who had learned the word became so frightened that he forgot it.
Of course, these are all legends but we find them in every great religion, in every race and in every culture. And even today it is quite commonplace for us to think of some people as possessing powers beyond others. There actually have been those throughout the ages who have exercised a power so far beyond that of ordinary people that they have stood out almost as gods.
Vincent Sheeham, in his book, “Lead, Kindly Light,” which is a story of the life of Mahatma Gandhi, said that when Gandhi sat in meditation before a vast throng of people, some kind of spiritual power was generated that in India is called “darshan,” which held this whole throng enthralled, as though they were seized by some mystic presence which which held them spellbound. Yet, it wasn’t because of any eloquence Gandhi possessed, because he never resorted to oratory and never used persuasive methods in talking with people. He was quite the reverse of one who sways people through the power of his will. And yet, a spiritual power was generated in him which held all India in its grasp and finally liberated her, just as he knew it would.