God answers prayers

I’d like to share some healings I had, some moments when I applied the spiritual truth I’m learning in Christian Science. The healings I’m about to share showed me that God answers our prayers. All we need to do is call on Him, and He’s always there.

It all started when I went to my aunt’s house for a visit. Everything went well the first day, but on the second day I started having stomach pain. It hurt, and I began to cry. Then I realized that I could pray. I thought about how I was made in the image and likeness of God (see Gen. 1:26) and there is no room for pain in God’s creation. God feels no pain, and, therefore, I can feel no pain as His reflection.

I also read what Mary Baker Eddy called “the scientific statement of being” on page 468 of Science and Health:

Question. What is the scientific statement of being?

Answer. There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual.

I read and prayed with these ideas continuously until I fell asleep. Then when I woke up, I felt like brand new. The pain or “error” that had been troubling me faded into nothingness. In this case, I felt God’s love. I saw how we can never be separated from Him—never for an instant.

Another time, when I was writing my chemistry exam, I forgot a certain formula. And I tried to remember it, but couldn’t. So I recalled what my dad says, “God is your intelligence. God is all-knowing; therefore, you, as His daughter, reflect Him and express wisdom.”

Then I remembered the formula in a flash! I completed that section of the exam satisfactorily. When I got home, I shared this with my dad. And he said that he was happy that I could apply the truth whenever I needed it.
There was another time when I prayed for a friend who needed help. I went to school as usual in the morning. When I got there, I saw my friend. She was shaking and appeared to have a fever. I went over to her and told her that she was made in the image and likeness of God. And that God loved her so she couldn’t be in pain.

She told me that maybe the pain came from God. She wanted to know how God could love her and send pain at the same time.

But I told her I’d learned that pain doesn’t come from God. It’s just an “error” or mistake about who we really are as His loved children. We are spiritual, not material. The pain was “nothing claiming to be something” (Science and Health, p. 591). She was listening to me telling her all this. She was about to go to the school infirmary, but before she did, she told me that “love put us together.”

Yes, I thought. I’d shared out of love, and that love was powerful.

My friend went off to the infirmary. But just a little while later, she came walking up the stairs to the classroom. She hadn’t taken any medicine and had been 
released because the fever was gone. People were 
surprised at her quick recovery.

She came over to meet me and thanked me because she was happy about what I’d said to her earlier. 
I should tell you also that this is a friend who always asks me about the Sentinel, and loves to read the testimonies of healing. She’s also read from my copy of Science and Health.

I love that when we pray, applying the truth to any situation, healing is so natural.

from the July 5th, 2009 Christian Science Sentinel
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Holding hands with Pakistan

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to get ready for take-off. Top on the list: gum. Is it time for gum? Can
I hold my piece? How many pieces will we get? Read the rest of this entry »

Free to dance

My name is Marie. I’m 16, and I attend Christian Science Sunday School in Paris.

More than seven years ago, when I was in fourth grade, my knees were painful and I had bumps on both of them. My parents are not both Christian Scientists. They decided to take me to a doctor.

He diagnosed a tendon problem. He told me, “You have a choice, Marie. Either you have surgery, or you sit out the year and do no sports.” Read the rest of this entry »

“I do”…sort of

I got married when I was 20.  Actually, I’d only been 20 for 20 days.  Granted, I was mature for my age—kind of—but I had no idea how hard it would be for me to turn off my dating brain.

Even though I was completely devoted to my new husband, I still seemed to have this part of me that looked at many guys as dating potential. Read the rest of this entry »

Unleashed by Love

I absolutely love dogs. I know God gave man dominion “over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (Gen 1: 26), but that doesn’t mean other creatures aren’t cared for by God. It is as much in their nature—as it is in ours—to express God’s great qualities, since He created them, too. So I had to disagree when I heard today that some people believe pets can’t be healed because they are lesser ideas of God. Read the rest of this entry »

Cross Country Freedom

To me, running is a perfect way to glorify God. It allows me to express strength, freedom, dominion, and persistence. What a great way to overcome all types of mental and physical limitations!

I began running cross-country during my sophomore year in college. Unfortunately, my first season was a little frustrating, as I dealt with several different injuries. So at the beginning of last fall, I was resolved not to experience a similar situation. Read the rest of this entry »

Spiritual Thoughts of a City Cyclist

For the past twenty years, my wife and I have been committed urban cyclists, with our “family car” being a small fleet of bikes. We cycle through city streets with tricky left-hand turns and up-hill climbs in traffic, sharing lanes with cars, buses, trucks, and other cyclists. I even ride during Canada’s snowy winters. While not everyone feels at ease cycling in a big city, God helps me feel safe and secure. Read the rest of this entry »

Biking the Black Hills

Two years ago, I found myself biking under the sizzling sun, breathing heavily, climbing a steep incline in the Black Hills of South Dakota with a number of Christian Science teens from my National Leadership Council, a group that’s associated with DiscoveryBound. (DiscoveryBound is a program that provides year-round fellowship for Christian Scientists and their friends.) This bike ride was meant to stretch our limits and would give us many opportunities along the way to rely on God for strength and direction.

For the middle part of the excursion, we had a full day of mountain biking planned. Read the rest of this entry »

Open to Discussion

Why are we so hung up about discussing religion with other students? Why is it a taboo subject?

I remember not wanting friends from school to find out I went to church for fear of having to discuss my beliefs with them. Ironically, it wasn’t until one of my friends invited me to her church youth group that I started to become more vocal about my Christian Science beliefs. Read the rest of this entry »

Rowing and prepped for success

Since 2001, when someone at church introduced me to rowing, I have competed in about 100 races, from small high-school dual meets, to collegiate national championships and international competitions. Inevitably, my racing has taught me about effective preparation for success. Read the rest of this entry »