Have you ever wondered how prayer heals the body of physical ailments?
It helps to understand that the body is mental.
The human body is human consciousness. An improvement in the consciousness governing a body improves the body governed by that consciousness.
Mary Baker Eddy wrote,
“Take possession of your body, and govern its feeling and action” (S&H 393:10-11).
I read this to mean, “Take possession of your thinking…” As we take possession of our thinking we take possession of the body.
However, success can’t be accomplished through human will, which is limited in scope and effect, and can have bad results instead of good ones. The human mind is not a reliable source of healing help. It’s the divine Mind that brings genuine reformation and strength.
Eddy continues,
“Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man” (S&H 393:12).
The “strength of Spirit,” gives you dominion over mind and body. It gives you the capacity to say no to error, yes to truth, no to disease and yes to health. It gives you courage to resist all evil suggestions, and confidence to follow through with what is spiritually right. It takes control of your thinking, harmonizing it with truth and love. It restores health to thought and body. It heals you.
This is great, Evan. I read this in the wee small hours when I woke “thinking” I had a headache. By the time I finished reading your blog, my thought had changed from “Oh no, I really don’t have time today to suffer a headache” to “I can resist this imposition” and the headache rapidly disappeared! Thanks!
Cindy
P.S. Your new lecture (Prayer that Heals) is the best ever. Heard it this weekend and will look for it again.
Thank you Evan. It’s wonderful and clear. As the previous commenter I faced the imposition of headache and am free.
Hope your lecture will be available on internet.
Man is not made up of Brain, Bones and other material elements. So writes Mary Baker Eddy. It is in Spiritual Consciousness that we govern the body. It is the continuous denial of material thinking, AKA MORTAL MIND, that enables healing.
“Rise in the strength of spirit to resist all that is unlike good” is also helpful when overcoming sin, which can also of course, affect the body. I had the opportunity to prove this recently when a past relationship, based on lust, came back into my life. It was not easy to turn away from it, but I knew it was right to do so and once I did, the heavy burden of guilt and sadness, was lifted.
Interesting one! My husband has been diagnosed with Alzimers last friday after an MRI scan and I am devastated. How do I cope with that? Is there healing for this cruel disease? My huband is not for Christian Scinece he sais that God has punished him for the bad things he has done and he doesn’t deserve healing or forgiveness and so he carries on and hangs on that thought and refuses to let go. So how can I do it on my own? Is it going to work? Don’t both people have to contribute to the healing prayer and be open spiritually? One is ope the other one is closed… doesn’t feel right. What do you suggest and please show me how to pray about this Alzimers.
Thanks and million
Love Paula
I have been praying for my brother in law who had the same diagnosis. He is not a Christian Scientist and neither is my sister. He continued to receive medical care. However, nothing could change the fact that he is God’s dear child and that God loves him! The ideas in Science and Health can help you to see your dear husband and yourself in a wonderful new way. And my brother in law was told that he didn’t have Alzheimer’s any more last month after 2years of being told he was getting worse!
This is so wonderful, Susan! It brings tears to my eyes and it makes me feel like wanting to put my arms around God’s neck and to thank Him for being so good to His children!
Me too!
Paula,
I’m sure Evan will respond to you, also, but I just wanted to add some reassuring words.
Nothing is beyond God’s care and love, so yes, there is healing for any disease, no matter what mortal mind tries to say, no matter how scary it may look.
You are not doing anything on your own. Even praying for yourself, it is not you who does anything, but God, Mind, your Mind. Let go of fear — this is the root of all disease. You can let go of fear in your own thinking about your husband.
You can know there is only one Mind, and it is your husband’s mind, also. You can pray for yourself to see your husband as God made him, perfect and in his right mind, not someone with an illness.
No matter what your husband says or thinks, he can never be separated from his Maker. God maintains His own image and likeness, and He will maintain your husband also.
Study the definition of Man in Science and Health (page 475). For the word “Man”, substitute your husband’s name. Study this as many times a day as it takes for you to arrive at peace, not fear, for your husband.
You may want to talk to a practitioner to help you handle your own thought.
See your husband and EVERYONE as being in their right mind, divine Mind. “For in him we live and move and have our being.” No exceptions, ever.
Love to you and your husband.
Kathleen
Oh dear Kathleen and Susan, you brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for this. I know this challenge is not a 5min job to put right for a mortal but for God is not even a seccond, right? Ok I shall work on these ideas.
Interesting and educational in the same time. Bless you all.
Love Paula
Hi Paula,
I think you received your answer in the above comments which are powerful and spot-on.
Bottom-line, there is one Mind. So your husband doesn’t have a different mind than you do. His true mind is the divine Mind, which knows the truth, loves the truth and understands the truth. See him that way in your prayers.
God never punishes anyone. God loves your husband and sends only help and care his way. Yours too!
So, this is an opportunity to see your husband in his correct spiritual light, and every prayer you pray, and every right spiritual thought you pour over him does help him and contribute to healing. No doubt about that. Just keep pouring on the truth!
Lots of love,
Thank you again friends, thanks Evan yes you are right to look and think the right things;… oh dear it is so easy to get distructed and that’s not fair.
In an hour’s time my husband and I are going to the CS church to their wenesday meeting and then after that we’ll be having a little workshop where people can ask questions and I am sure that God has in his plan for us to come out with interesting questions and get interesting answers, because that’s what God is like and wow I like it, I like surprises. Yes I am at ease now and I am not so concerned now I am a bit more balanced in this situation rather than all over the place and I am very grateful and thankful that my husband is not worse and that conunts a lot. Wonderful and perfect. Thank you friends and thank you God.
Love
Paula