Article April 13, 2009 Issue

TAKING THE SHEPHERD'S HAND

BY KWADJO BOAITEY

I grew up learning about God and having wonderful healing through prayer in Christian Science. But several years ago, one particular experience introduced me to God as that great Shepherd from the Bible. The Psalmist sings: "He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul" (Ps. 23:2, 3). God is that great Shepherd who protects us from danger and never lets us get lost. The healing that followed was a marker for me because I gained new insights into the depth of the 23rd Psalm's message and really got to know my Shepherd for the very first time.

In March 2000, I found myself wrestling with frightening symptoms of a debilitating ailment. I never had it diagnosed, but it involved fever, chills, and chronic diarrhea. It seemed I didn't have much control over my body, and I frequently felt weak.

When this condition first appeared, I remember having strange thoughts that perhaps I'd done something wrong to deserve this suffering. The temptation to ascertain fault, blame, or a cause for this illness was very strong. I began reeling through past experiences in my mind like a movie projector. Was there some kind of indiscretion I'd committed to bring this on? Maybe I hadn't been as dedicated to God as I should have been? At the time, 17 years had passed since I'd attended a church service or really actively studied Christian Science. And yet, relying on prayer for help and healing was something I continued to do from time to time.

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