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Love was the physician
In a remote area of Africa, God's help was immediate—"a very present help in trouble."
It Was Just About A Year Ago. I was crouched down in the middle of a plain in Tanzania asking God to help me. I was in trouble. For a couple of days I'd been increasingly unwell, and on a morning drive with our safari guide, it became obvious to him that I was not doing well. After asking a few questions about my condition, he named a kind of dehydration he was sure I was experiencing. He then mixed up a two-liter bottle of a green concoction and told me to drink it within an hour.
I thanked him for his kindness, but I put the bottle in the seat pocket of the jeep. I then took a little walk so I could be alone to get the help I needed through prayer. And although it sure looked like I needed physical relief, what I really longed for was the deep, restorative assurance of God's presence with me. I've always found that when I really open up to feeling God's closeness and presence, a feeling of calm comes that restores health.
About the author
Rebecca Odegaard is a Christian Science teacher. She lives in New York City.

August 18, 2003 issue
View Issue-
The restoring power of God
Marilyn Jones
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letters
with contributions from Victoria Pann, Joan L. Knapp, Wendy Grayson-Tonge, Rosemary Deary, William Waltz
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items of interest
with contributions from Oryana Kaufman, Kim Hyun-chul, Phuong Ly, Dean Salter
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Love was the physician
By Rebecca Odegaard
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My long road of spiritual discovery
By José Rodríguez Peláez
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A downward spiral REVERSED
By Steve Scheiern
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BRIDGES TO BROTHERHOOD—reconciliation in the Australian outback
By Peter Julian
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AN ABORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE
Raymond Walters
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'God has a plan—and it is good'
By Dave Hohle Senior Managing Editor
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Allow change to work for you
By Scott Allan Stevens
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Is life unfair?
By Elaine Lang
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A 'biscuit' that's hard to resist
By Kim ShippeySenior Writer
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Adversity overcome
By Channing Walker
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Christian Science treatment heals ovarian and lung cancer
Laly Martín-Hernández
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Prayer overcomes pneumonia and blood infection
Delores M. Lauffer
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Healed of skin problem
Susan W. Rynerson
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God's laws—everywhere
Editor