At one time I had a yearning to pray about a specific world problem, but I felt inadequate. As I tried to pray about this situation, instead of finding peace I became increasingly restless and frustrated. But one morning, with a humility I had not felt before, I began to realize that this desire to pray would be answered by God! The disturbing frustration was replaced with a trustful expectation of answers from God—not only to me but to all of His creation.

Later that evening my son came to me while I was getting ready for bed and asked me to pray for him. He complained of soreness and pain in his ankle and foot, and he showed me an open sore that had resulted from his wearing a pair of roller-skate boots that day. There was swelling in his ankle and foot, as well as several other sores.

I began to pray right away. As I was praying I recalled an incident that had occurred earlier that day when this son had had a friend over. My son had been eager to exclude his sister from their activities. We had spoken about the trouble at the time, but he had felt some lingering resentment toward her. In my prayers that evening, I acknowledged that God's government is good, harmonious, and ever present. Therefore there is no place for evil, friction, soreness, exclusion. God, divine Love, is the only power and embraces each and every one. I could see that our son's true, Godlike nature was loving and generous.

By morning our son was healed. There was no further discomfort, and he and his sister played happily together all day. The following day we left on a two-day journey by car; previously, such trips had included squabbles between the children, but this trip was completely harmonious.

I realized with joy that my prayers in this situation were applicable to the world problem that had previously had me stumped! Why, mental misconceptions were no more true on a worldwide scale than within my own family! I do not claim to have alone healed the world crisis, but I did glimpse that we can pray about any situation effectively—that any problem has a spiritual solution, and we can find it when we really know the truth about man's unbreakable relationship to God.

A few years ago, I woke one morning to make final preparations for a family holiday. As I dressed, I noticed that a small bump that had been on my back for years had enlarged and become painful. I reasoned incorrectly that because I had been anxious about going away and leaving many responsibilities behind, this was showing up in my body. As I fell into this trap of incorrect reasoning and self-condemnation, the pain and concern seemed to increase.

I was feeling very uncomfortable when we boarded the plane. Finally I turned to God and asked what I needed to know. Instantly it occurred to me that there is only one cause. God is the only cause; therefore anxiety is not a cause, nor is guilt, nor anything else. The pain ceased, and as I continued to pray, my back became completely smooth and normal. I am very grateful for this healing.

Rebecca MacKenzie Odegaard
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia