Article January 26, 2004 Issue

Never out of God's control

By Jim Baker

When people have accidents , they understandably want immediate relief—relief from bodily pain and from the fear that the healing process could be drawn out or incomplete. Like an alarm clock, pain and fear alert us to conditions that need to be dealt with immediately.

There are various ways to cope with pain and fear. Some people just ignore them and tough it out. Others resort to remedies that temporarily ease or treat the body, but don't necessarily address the fear of future accidents. A third way, which treats both the physical condition and the fear, lies in prayer that is firmly rooted in understanding one's relationship with God.

Having relied on prayer for healing all my life, this was my instinctive choice some years ago after I injured myself clearing brush with a chain saw. When my concentration lapsed for a moment, the saw slipped and cut severely into my kneecap. Because the injury was distressing to look at, I immediately prayed to know that my life could never be out of God's control. There could be no lapse in God's protection of me—nor, for that matter, of anyone else.