Testimony of Healing March 1, 1982 Issue

One recent morning I woke with a strange sensation in my lower...

JOHN F. BOWER with contributions from BONNIE BOWER

One recent morning I woke with a strange sensation in my lower abdomen. Within a few moments this sensation developed into rapidly intensifying pain. As the pain and fear mounted, I turned to God, to acknowledge my inseparable relationship to Him. However, temptation to speculate on the nature of the difficulty and a feeling of doubt that I could handle the situation through prayer prevailed.

I called to my wife for aid. When she saw my distress, she quickly made arrangements for our young son to be cared for by a neighbor. Then she returned to support me through prayer. At that point I could not stand up. The most I could do was crawl on my hands and knees. I declared aloud statements from Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy. Over the phone I managed to ask for the assistance of a Christian Science practitioner, although at the time I didn't think I could speak intelligibly with anyone. The practitioner responded to my initial plea for help with the admonition that nothing could convince me that I was anything less than a perfect expression of God. I was asked if I really believed that. My response: that I wanted to but wasn't sure. The practitioner then asked my wife not to be impressed by false evidence, but to help rouse me from this negative and unscientific viewpoint.

The next two hours were spent audibly declaring passages from Science and Health and hymns from the Hymnal. I talked with the practitioner every half-hour or so, as I'd been instructed to do, but the pain continued unabated. At times I was tempted to doubt whether I was going to survive the experience, and more than once I thought of seeking any kind of solution that would end the pain.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
NOTICES
March 1, 1982
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit