Mary Baker Eddy wrote on page 373 of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “If we are Christians on all moral questions, but are in darkness as to the physical exemption which Christianity includes, then we must have more faith in God on this subject and be more alive to His promises.” One such promise is found in Psalms 138:8 in the Bible, which reads in part, “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.”

This promise was a constant strength to me about eight years ago, when my granddaughter, who was then almost two, was having problems with ear infections and lack of hearing. Her parents were concerned and took her to a specialist, who gave her several tests. The results showed that her ears were filled with fluid. They also attached her to a machine that showed evidence that her eardrums were not functioning at all and her hearing was impaired. The lack of hearing was also affecting her speech. 

After the tests were completed, the physician suggested that the child have surgery to insert tubes into her ears. A second opinion was sought, and the results also concluded that surgery was needed. The surgery was set to take place in five weeks.

As my daughter-in-law was telling me this information, she mentioned how afraid she was concerning the evidence and upcoming surgery. It was then that I asked if it would be all right if I prayed for the child. (My granddaughter was not taking any medication during this time.) Her mom replied, “Oh, please do!” In my prayer, I humbly asked God what I needed to see as true about this precious granddaughter. Fear tried to fill my thought many times, but each time I would go back to God until I felt at peace. 

Two statements from Science and Health were very helpful. One was Mrs. Eddy’s assertion that “a spiritual idea has not a single element of error, and this truth removes properly whatever is offensive” (p. 463). The other statement says, “. . . nothing inharmonious can enter being, for Life is God” (p. 228). I prayed daily to behold this child as God saw her—pure, free, spiritual, and perfect in every way. As I continued to pray, I felt less fearful and more certain that the healing power of God was present.

Because my granddaughter was to have surgery early one Monday morning, her parents were to take her in on the prior Friday afternoon to have a final checkup, which would make her ready for the surgery.

The family arrived at our home on Thursday evening, as our city was where the surgery was to take place. They planned to spend the weekend with us and then be ready to take her in early Monday morning. My daughter-in-law said that she was concerned about how she was going to explain to the two-year-old that she could not eat or drink for six hours, a requirement that was needed to prepare for surgery. While my daughter-in-law was telling me about this concern, it came to me to see that this precious child was innocent. I knew that her innate innocence as a child of God protected her. In the glossary of Science and Health, lamb of God is defined as “the spiritual idea of Love; self-immolation; innocence and purity; sacrifice” (p. 590). This definition was helpful in removing the fear.

I had recently attended the annual meeting of The Mother Church. At one of the workshops, the authors of Mary Baker Eddy: Christian Healer told of a conversation that had taken place when one of her students asked her how to pray if they felt that healing work was not progressing. As I remember it, her response had to do with the importance of handling “mental poison.”

As I prayed, it came to me that I needed to see that “mental poison,” or the false material laws that were trying to attach themselves to this child, was powerless. I felt that I needed to replace these false laws with God’s true spiritual laws, laws that said that God made this child perfect in every way and that He had promised to keep her that way. I prayed to see that this was true not only for her, but also for all children and adults. I prayed that evening until I felt at peace.

The next morning, Friday, our son took our granddaughter in for the final preparatory checkup. After about two hours he returned home with a big smile on his face and shared the good news that the child would not have to have surgery on Monday. No fluid was present in her ears, and when the physician attached her to the eardrum machine, it indicated that she was hearing clearly and the eardrums were fully active. What gratitude to God we all felt! 

This healing again proved to me that the power of God indeed “healeth all thy diseases” (Ps. 103:3). My granddaughter’s hearing has been perfect for years now, with no trace of the difficulty. God certainly did perfect that which concerned me, and I am humbly grateful.

LaMay Kent
Burnsville, Minnesota, US