Prayer halts chain of symptoms
Human life is filled with sequences of events or steps that we follow—for instance, when using a recipe, playing music, or launching a rocket into space. And these often lead to a positive outcome. But what about a sequence that results in something negative, such as suffering? Do we need to accept, for example, the premise that illness is real and must run its course, with one phase inevitably leading to another?
This is the question that challenged me recently as I left my hotel room for an all-day meeting. I felt nauseated while walking to my car. I recalled the last time I felt that way and several symptoms that had developed, in a specific order, into acute illness. Feeling overwhelmed by the suggestion that this progression of symptoms was inevitable, I asked my wife to pray for me while I walked to the meeting room.
From my study of Christian Science, I had learned that God is the only true power, as there can be only one infinite God. Because God is the only cause and wholly good, all effects come from Him and must always be good. His creation is complete and perfect. Therefore, disease, as expressed through a string of symptoms, cannot exist in God’s creation.
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