Many years ago I provoked the ire of an entire hive of wasps when I unwittingly ran my lawn mower over the ground where they had made their nest. At first I felt just a few stings on my arm, but before I knew it, I was enveloped in a cloud of wasps swarming around me and stinging every bit of skin not covered by my T-shirt and shorts.

I abandoned the mower and ran into the street and down the block, wildly swinging my arms in the air and trying to brush my head, arms, and legs clean of the wasps. About halfway down the block, I found that I was clear of them, but I was alarmed to feel my skin throbbing with pain so intense that I couldn’t see. 

The acuteness of the situation allowed no room for doubt, fear, or equivocation. I had to reach out to God for aid immediately. My prayer did not consist of words. It was just a sincere and total trust in God, good, as ever present and All-in-all. I knew God could and would care for me in that moment. This conviction did not come out of nowhere. It was based on years of studying the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, and on the countless healings that had come through an understanding of God and of my true nature as God’s perfect, spiritual creation.