Praying for the world brings healing

I wasn’t feeling well, so I took a nap, but it didn’t help. I then realized that napping wasn’t a solution from God, Spirit, who maintains us as perpetually healthy and whole. I prayed, “Father what do I need to know to be healed?”  

The answer surprised me. God’s message was to stop praying specifically for myself and instead pray for all mankind. As I did, I was healed immediately and was able to continue with my regular activities. I later realized that “all mankind” included me. 

This experience reminded me of the Bible story of Job, which is full of his efforts to understand God while in despair. As a result of those efforts, Job was led to pray for his friends. Then he was healed. How powerful our prayers must be if God asks us to pray for others. And this inclusive prayer heals us, too!

In a By-Law titled “Alertness to Duty” in the Manual of The Mother Church, Mary Baker Eddy emphasizes the duty of members of The Church of Christ, Scientist, to reach beyond our own lives and concerns and embrace mankind (see p. 42). This healing has alerted me to my responsibility as a member of The Mother Church to faithfully fulfill this duty.

Blanche Sabini
Folsom, California, US