In the book of Daniel in the Bible, three men undergo a rather barbaric test of loyalty: If they do not bow to the demands of the king, they will be thrown into a furnace. Without hesitation, they explain that they have made their choice and will continue to worship God rather than the idol the king set up.

They are thrown into the furnace but later emerge unscathed. According to the story, “The princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them” (3:27).

This story relates to a healing I had a number of years ago. I had what was diagnosed as rheumatic fever, which paralyzed me for several months. Supported by the loving prayers of a Christian Science practitioner and my family, I made a full recovery. And I progressed in my understanding of my being as entirely spiritual, not material. The medical prognosis (I was on long-term sick leave from work and needed a medical certificate) was that if I recovered, I would experience bouts of rheumatism for the rest of my life. This has not come to pass.