Article November 24, 1986 Issue

The Bible's prayer-shaping powers

We need more than a verse-by-verse grasp of the Bible. We need the rebirth that comes from probing deep into the whole of Scripture.

Stephen D. Helmer

Scripture is the daily bread of Christian life. All across the globe, there are people of every race, language, and culture who turn to the Bible to hear its powerful, comforting message. For Christian Scientists, too, the Bible is crucial—as crucial to their own spiritual development as it was to that of the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy. A more intimate knowledge of the Bible opens fresh wellsprings of inspiration and healing.

When I was elected Second Reader in my branch Church of Christ, Scientist, I had the opportunity to get a lot closer to my Bible and to strike out across its vast spiritual frontiers to learn more of God's nature. I'd been studying Christian Science a long time and I read the Scriptures thoughtfully, even earnestly. But often it was more out of duty than genuine love. "As a good Christian Scientist, I really should study my Bible more," I'd say to myself.

As I studied in greater depth, however, I saw more of why the Bible was vital to my spiritual growth. Right from the start, the Bible was inextricably tied to the discovery of Christian Science. While reading an account in Matthew of Jesus' healing of a paralyzed man, Mrs. Eddy experienced an immediate recovery from the effects of a serious accident. A lifelong student of the Bible, she turned to it in her time of need. And after her recovery she undertook an even deeper spiritual investigation of the Scriptures in an effort to understand how she had been healed. As she began to see the Scriptures in their true light, they helped lead her up the mount of discovery.

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