Article May 15, 1971 Issue

Act Quickly!

LAURA LEE POTTOL

It is important that Christian healing work be done quickly. Any disposition to put off one's prayerful attack upon sin or disease delays the result, and the problem may appear to become more serious. And hesitancy about praying indicates a lack of understanding of God's ability to heal. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."^{II Cor. 6:2;}

Bible narratives indicate that Christ Jesus usually acted quickly when called upon to heal the sick and sinning. He once said, "Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him."^{Matt. 5:25;} On the Sabbath, and openly in the synagogue, he healed a man with a withered hand, knowing that the Jews would attack him for it. He could have told the man to come back tomorrow and be healed, but he knew that God's work is done now. As John's Epistle says, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God."^{I John 3:2;}

Similarly, the Christian Scientist learns to act quickly in his approach to the healing of disease. Mrs. Eddy says, "To decide quickly as to the proper treatment of error—whether error is manifested in forms of sickness, sin, or death—is the first step towards destroying error."^{Science and Health, p. 463;} This requires mental alertness on the part of the healer. He must always be ready to counter every attack of error with a quick denial of it and an affirmation of the truth.