In the spring of 2021, I had a regular dental appointment, which included full X-rays. The dentist showed me where the X-ray indicated that a root canal was necessary and explained that my tooth was dying. An appointment was made for me with an oral surgeon. I’d had a root canal two years earlier, and the goal of my prayer about the upcoming oral surgery was to understand that in Life as God, there is no dying or death of anything—including my tooth. 

The following passage in Unity of Good by Mary Baker Eddy proved most helpful in guiding my prayer: “Error says God must know death in order to strike at its root; but God saith, I am ever-conscious Life, and thus I conquer death; for to be ever conscious of Life is to be never conscious of death. I am All. A knowledge of aught beside Myself is impossible” (p. 18).

Reading that gave me immediate relief. To me, the passage first described the error underlying the diagnosis of a dying tooth, then gave instructions for how to pray about it. Over the next three weeks, whenever any concern about the scheduled surgery came up in my thinking, I reviewed that passage thoughtfully until I regained my peace.