Article August 7, 2006 Issue

CHOOSE TO RELY ON GOD FOR HEALING

BY MARION PIERPONT

The founder of this magazine, Mary Baker Eddy, wrote in reference to Christ Jesus: "Our Master's first article of faith propounded to his students was healing, and he proved his faith by his works" (Science and Health, pp. 145–146). And through the scientific prayer Mrs. Eddy taught in Christian Science, which is based on Jesus' words and works, millions have depended on God for healing and have not been disappointed.

Understandably, when they feel ill or have some other physical difficulty, many people seek medical help. They see a physician, undergo an examination, get a diagnosis, hear a prognosis, and often begin medicinal or surgical treatment for the body. Others make a very different but no less valid decision to have spiritual treatment. This involves prayer based on one's understanding of God as Spirit, Life, Love—as the Bible defines Him—who creates us and maintains us as His likeness in an inseparable, unchanging, always dependable relationship.

What it comes down to is this: When you need to make a healthcare choice, are you examining body or thought, the physical or the mental, the material or the spiritual, to decide which way to turn for healing? Are you ready to rely completely on the power of God's sustaining love and healing care, which are plentifully evident in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible? The theology of Christian Science is as simple and practical as turning to God with all our heart to find the truth that makes us free from believing in another, or opposing, power.