Article November 14, 2011 Issue

Sky-high prayer

By William R. Battle III

As a United States Army Airborne Soldier, I was able to get a clearer understanding of the spiritual law of man’s inseparability from God and to demonstrate this truth when I was stationed in Panama and assigned to the Special Operations Command South (SOCSO). 

During this assignment, I was asked if I was going to perform parachute jumps with the unit on a monthly basis. I said yes, since I was assigned to fully support all of the special operations that the unit would undertake during my assignment. This also included any deployment missions where the unit would have to parachute in to support any US military contingencies. Additionally, I fully trained and qualified as an airborne soldier several years earlier when I attended the US Army Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. 

Several years had passed since I had attended jump school, and as I began preparing to jump with the unit, I felt great fear. During this period in my life, I had also begun reading and studying the Christian Science Bible Lesson, as well as seeking a more serious spiritual journey. The Bible Lesson was giving me inspirational ideas and healing truths that brought peace, joy, strength, and comfort to any situation.