Trusting God brought healing

I have attended Christian Science lectures and church services with my wife, who is a church member, and on my own for many years. And though I am not a church member, I read the Christian Science Bible Lesson every morning before doing anything else. I also read the Christian Science Sentinel every week from cover to cover, and The Christian Science Journal.

I especially enjoy attending the Wednesday evening meetings to hear how others utilize prayer for healing and to share my own thoughts and successful experiences, such as the following.

In 2002 I became very weak and was in a lot of pain. My bodily functions also became abnormal. The symptoms I was experiencing seemed to match the descriptions from friends who had suffered from urinary tract infections. Though the condition wasn’t medically diagnosed, I strongly felt that I was dying.

Since discovering my spiritual nature through spiritual studies in 1967—and before learning of Christian Science—I had had very few health issues. I believe that was due entirely to my spiritual well-being, which I attribute to my understanding of God as the Creator and Sustainer of life.

As a result, when this condition developed, I knew that, since I already had complete trust in God, the medical route would not be an acceptable solution for me. Fully believing in the supreme testimony of Jesus’ mission, I had become convinced through prayer that there is no death. Therefore I had no fear of dying.

But prior to this physical difficulty, I’d been frustrated, resentful, and angry about what I perceived to be wrongful actions by some of my business partners. And though I had complete trust in God, because of those emotions I’d let my prayerful connection with God become weakened.

When my wife, who is a lifelong Christian Scientist, realized I was far from being my normally healthy self, she told me that I must obtain some kind of help. She suggested that, if that was my choice, I go to a medical doctor. But from my experience for over 35 years, I felt that relying on God would offer a permanent solution.

Since I couldn’t seem to gain a healing of the pain and weakness through my own prayer and reasoning, I asked my wife if Christian Science practitioners would help someone with prayer who was not a member of the church. She said of course they would. I called a practitioner and received immediate and permanent relief from the extreme and painful condition of constipation. Mentally I knew I was on the right track to complete healing.

I stayed mostly in a recliner because of my weakened condition. But I read the King James Version of the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy three times straight through during the weeks that followed—and with more understanding than I’d had on a couple of previous complete readings. From prior studies and personal experience, I knew that what I was reading was true.

Gradually, I replaced un-Godlike thoughts with Godlike thoughts. Emptying the vessel of the old and refilling it with the new, so to speak (see Science and Health, p. 201). For example, I replaced judgmental and angry thoughts with understanding and love, and I reinforced my belief of life as spiritual as opposed to thinking I was physical. I also concentrated on the logic of these two particular Bible verses: “God is a Spirit” and “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (John 4:24; Gen. 1:26).

In about two months from the time I called the practitioner, my strength and stamina were fully restored and have remained so. The practitioner was informed, rejoiced with me, and let me fly on my own.

Dan West | Yorktown, Virginia, US