Persistent prayer heals growth

Some years ago, a large growth developed on the center of my chest. Because I’d been healed many times in Christian Science, I decided to pray diligently about this challenge. I considered it an opportunity to prove what the first chapter of Genesis declares: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness …. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him …. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:26, 27, 31).

I prayed daily to understand, and not just believe, these spiritual truths, which are fundamental to the teachings of Christian Science, and to know that I couldn’t manifest any element that was not expressing the perfection and harmony of God. Because Christian Science explains that what appears to be physical discord is actually a false mental concept, without substance in itself, I saw that my real goal was not to heal a material condition—in this case, a growth on my body—but to discern more clearly my true individuality, which is spiritual and without blemish.

A passage in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures inspired my prayers: “What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health, p. 4).

I found my profession as a teacher was one area in which to express more of this grace. Whether answering challenging questions requiring lengthy explanations or offering encouragement when a student was seeking to perform at a higher level on the next exam, I welcomed these opportunities to respond with genuine caring, humility, and patience.

The following promise from Job was also helpful: “If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him … then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot …” (Job 11:13, 15).

I saw this as urging me to have greater trust in God’s care and love, and to accept the certain prospect of complete healing. Above all, it helped me further affirm that “without spot” was a spiritual fact about who I am as God’s reflection, rather than a far-off hope for a future physical change.

Over a period of a couple of years, the growth grew larger, drained, and left a hole the size of a dime in my chest. I thought this was the end of the problem.

But a few weeks later, the growth reappeared. As I continued to pray for a clearer sense of my relationship to God, this passage in Science and Health provided me with a fresh starting point: “We cannot deny that Life is self-sustained, and we should never deny the everlasting harmony of Soul, simply because, to the mortal senses, there is seeming discord. It is our ignorance of God, the divine Principle, which produces apparent discord, and the right understanding of Him restores harmony” (Science and Health, p. 390).

For me, gaining a “right understanding” of God meant holding more firmly to the idea of the infinite reach of His goodness and power. I was learning that this also involved acknowledging that God was taking care of me each day as His beloved child. It was this thought that helped erase my fear and any ongoing concern about my safety. The power of divine Love precluded the presence of anything that could invade my well-being—including a stubborn growth.

Though many months elapsed with no further change in my physical condition, I never doubted that there would be a complete and permanent healing. As a student of Christian Science, I’ve learned the importance of not continuing to check the body to see if there’s a change for the better. I committed myself to this self-discipline, and remained focused on accomplishing the needed change in thought—from a material to a spiritual basis.

The growth again became enlarged and drained, and again I thought that this was the end of it.

However, several weeks later, the growth appeared a third time. I was not discouraged, but resolved to persevere in my prayer. A beacon of encouragement was the Bible passage “Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:4). I continued to study and pray daily. Rather than let my prayer become a ritual covering the same ground, I demanded of myself new and deeper insights, and truly relished this time of spiritual exploration. One of the most important lessons I learned was to boldly put into practice this instruction in Science and Health: “Take possession of your body, and govern its feeling and action …. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man” (Science and Health, p. 393).

Finally, the growth again drained, and this time it closed permanently. There has been no further recurrence, and the healing has been complete for more than two years.

The spiritual journey that this experience proved to be had begun with small steps, and though it took place gradually over a period of more than ten years, I am profoundly grateful for the precious lessons I learned—about God’s constant love and infinite goodness, and the spiritual nature of my being as His likeness. It gave me a stronger foundation in Truth from which I continue to gain inspiration.

I thank God every day for this great gift of Christian Science.

Tom Quirk | St. Louis, Missouri, US