One day, in the summer of 1986, I began to suffer pain in my...

Nancy Earl Collins

One day, in the summer of 1986, I began to suffer pain in my teeth. The suffering continued for two days and nights before I decided I would take steps to remedy it. During this time I had been halfheartedly praying. After making no progress toward healing with these efforts, I made an appointment to see a dentist the next morning.

The dentist gave me an examination and took X-rays. He told me that my teeth were healthy and that the pain was caused by a severe sinus infection. He pointed this out to me on an X-ray. He said that the condition wouldn't improve on its own and that I would have to have it drained. He gave me two prescriptions—one to help control the infection and the other for pain. He asked me to call him when I'd decided to have the condition drained and he would give me the name of a specialist.

On the way home I had the prescriptions filled. Once home, however, I decided to store the two bottles of medicine and not use them unless it seemed absolutely necessary. (As a lifelong Christian Scientist, I had never used medicine.)

The next morning I still had not opened either pill bottle, but I hadn't prayed with any conviction either and was still in pain. I decided to telephone a Christian Science practitioner for help through prayer. I told the practitioner what had happened thus far but was too ashamed to speak of the medicine. I rationalized that as long as I didn't take any, it didn't matter.

The practitioner said that he would pray for me. After hanging up the phone I suddenly felt a sense of God's strength and a certainty of His omnipotence. At the same time I recognized the medicine as an impediment to spiritual healing and discarded it.

I was overwhelmed with gratitude as I remembered earlier instances of healing through Christian Science treatment, including those of chicken pox, burn, and poison oak. How grateful I was to remember these proofs that prayer works.

Half an hour later, my husband came home for lunch. I was standing in the kitchen talking with him when I felt a trickling in the back of my throat. In an instant it was gone and I was free of all symptoms of sinus infection. I remain so to this day.

I continue to rely totally on Christian Science and am so grateful that throughout my life, in instances such as this one, I have seen convincing proof of God's omnipotence.

Nancy Earl Collins
Fairbanks, Alaska

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