Can God heal this?

For many people today, looking to God to heal their problems, including sickness, might be a new idea. Those who have witnessed God’s healing power in the past might be praying about an issue without seeing any improvement. In both cases, the question may arise, “Can God heal this?” 

Whether seeking healing through prayer for the first time or facing a situation that is not yielding as previous problems have, especially if symptoms seem aggressive, it is certainly encouraging to remember that Christ Jesus healed “all manner of sickness and all manner of disease” (Matthew 4:23), and so did his disciples. But how does this help us with what feels like a very real, even urgent, need that we are experiencing now?

When I have felt this way, one fact that has always pierced fear, calmed a sense of panic, and uplifted my thought is that Christ-healing is based on a Science I can totally rely on. An experience I had years ago illustrates this. My son fell ill in the middle of the night with a virulent upset stomach. I was afraid, and though I prayed, running like a thread through my prayers was “Can God heal this?” 

Then a thought came, gently but firmly, that I should pray from the basis of the Science of Christ. What a relief this was. I calmed down and felt God’s presence, which had been there all along but which my panicked praying had not recognized. I knew God’s creation is always as perfect as God the creator. I did not have to personally do or earn anything to make or keep it so. The human picture changed at once. And I rejoiced in yet another proof of Christianly scientific healing. 

What is this Science of Christ? The word Science hints at something that can’t vary—divine Truth. It is fixed, steady, and utterly reliable, as the law of gravity is reliable. This gives assurance of God’s ability and willingness to heal because God is the Principle of Science, the law of true existence that undergirds spiritual healing. Therefore it’s more than encouraging to realize that Jesus’ unparalleled healing record was based on this Science—Christian Science, the Science of Truth—and his disciples also worked successfully from this basis. Most importantly, Jesus promised that we too can witness God’s healing power today. He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do” (John 14:12).

A glimmer of understanding, or “faith as a grain of mustard seed,” can heal the most intractable human problem. 

The Science of Christ, revealing the unvarying goodness, steady love, and reliable law of God, came as divine revelation to Mary Baker Eddy. On this basis, she consistently proved over many years that God can heal “all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” She wrote her revelation in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, inviting everyone to prove it for themselves. Yet, the question of whether God can heal a particular situation may persist, especially when we think our understanding of this Science is inadequate to meet the need. A glimmer of understanding, or “faith as a grain of mustard seed” (Matthew 17:20), can heal the most intractable human problem.

Jesus assures us that Truth makes free as we know it. So, our duty is to know the truth, and it is the truth, not us, that unfailingly brings freedom and healing. Studying God’s Word certainly helps us get better acquainted with God, to whom all things are possible. And becoming more familiar with Science and its rules found in Science and Health helps make this practical in our experience. The grace of Christ, independent of personal merit, is unconditional and blesses the yearning heart. Christ is the practical evidence of God’s influence in human experience.

So, we can reach out to God with a heartfelt desire to know Him better. This is prayer, which anyone can try. We can listen for the ideas God is giving as we study the Bible. If we listen, God will make sure that we hear. We will find out that the Science of Christ is available for all to learn and practice as we begin to accept the truth. Jesus’ healing ministry and the Science that bases it show that God made us spiritually perfect, not materially imperfect. God does not cause evil. This is why it is destroyed. We can know this truth at least to some degree. Science works according to an unchangeable, provable law. We can trust the outcome of our desires and obedience to God.

Ignorance of God produces discord. The right understanding of God, which Science teaches, restores health and harmony. God’s work is perfect. Nothing can be added to or taken from it, and it remains perfect forever. Each one of us is, right now, an individual manifestation of God’s work, made and held perfect. This is the truth we can know, regardless of the evidence presented by the material senses.

I am finding that what is needed is a larger, more spiritual understanding of what God is. Problems pale into nothingness in the face of God’s infinitude, omnipotence, and love. What this means for the human situation is healing. So, yes, God can heal this.

Moji George, Associate Editor