This weekend it hit me how foreign the concept of turning to God first in times of emergency is for many people.
I was filling out a medical release form to allow our daughter to attend a trip away from school.
The first blanks on the form were devoted to listing doctor contact information, health issues and drug prescriptions. Family contact information was asked for at the end of the form.
When I finished, I thought, “Isn’t this backward?” Shouldn’t family be the first to be contacted in times of emergency?
I had answered “doesn’t apply” to several of the medical questions, had explained that my daughter was a practicing Christian Scientist, and that family should be called first in times of emergency. I expect they would do this anyway. But after filling out the form I couldn’t help but think how medical oriented our society has become.
Schools need these forms filled out to help their students. I understand that need. But isn’t the process and expectation illustrative of a larger frame of mind in society that automatically defaults to a material option when trouble hits?
God is an ever-present help.
After a moment of prayer, one may decide they need medical help, but an initial divine petition can work wonders in establishing peace of mind, calming thought and body, and opening the door to quicker relief.
I was taught from a young age to turn to God first for help in any situation. It became a natural reflex for me during my growing up years, and has continued to this day.
Many times, on the farm in particular that I grew up on, when accidents and injuries occurred, God was the only immediate help. And God gave me the help I needed.
One time, my son was keeled over in extreme pain, and our joint prayers brought him back to normal in 15 minutes. It would have taken much longer to get to a hospital, and the results would not have been as unintrusive.
Spiritual truth is powerful medicine and instantly available.
I will still fill out medical release forms when requested and needed, but I pray that more people glimpse God as a first resort for help in times of emergency.
The call is easy to make, and there’s always someone on the other end to answer!
“I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.” Psalms
Yes, I agree in every sense. Even is someone is relying on medicine all the time, God should be the first resort to guide them to find the right situation to bring about a solution to their problems.
Recently I shared a healing my niece had of blindness with my Sunday School kids and they were surprised her family had relied on Christian Science treatment alone, feeling she should have been taken to a hospital emergency room.
Even some CS youngsters aren’t aware that God is a very present help in trouble. But no condemnation here. I have to live what I feel and know — and that’s the best testimony there is to healing. Thanks for your remarks.
This is the problem that many see with Christian Science.
First of all, it’s clear that Christian Scientists die from disease just like everyone else. Of course, there are people who are healed as well, just as there are people who are healed through medical means. However, a law means it works every time, and no one claims that medicine is a law that works every time. The problem is that Christian Science states healing as proofs of God’s healing power, yet, when it doesn’t work, they will say, there’s no life in matter anyway. So a Christian Scientist always wins; whether they are healed, or whether they die, because there’s no death anyway. It seems like a double standard. Anyway, if Christian Sciene healed every case, the world would easily accept it. Then the other excuse is that there’s not enough understanding, or the law wasn’t applied correctly. Those are just that: excuses. God knows what’s going on. If the Truth is the Truth, there would be no need for excuses.
To anon above. You make many interesting and valid points. I think the wiser stance to take in regard to making claims for CS is to be humble about one’s claims to success and about what one is capable of demonstrating and ready to prove. A mathematician knows the rules of math work indisputably, but he may make many mistakes along the way in solving the more difficult problems. A doctor tries their very hardest to save every patient, but often fails. But they keep trying for more success next time. I know I have much to learn about how to demonstrate CS fully, so I respect and honor everyone else’s healing efforts along the way as we all learn to do a better job.