Have you ever wondered exactly how a Christian Science practitioner's silent prayer eliminates physical evidence of discord and disease? Let me share a simple example of the type of thing I am talking about.
One day a number of years ago, I was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of sickness that swept my whole body. I called a dear friend who is a Christian Science practitioner and told him what the situation was. "I can't make up my mind whether I want to live or die," I said. He responded that he would hold my hand up to God.
Despite my misery, I was curious about that statement and went to the Bible concordance to look for it there. I found that indeed it was based on a Bible passage. It was a reference to Moses, who grew tired while holding the rod of God in his hand—the rod which stood for a sign to the people that God was with them. When Moses' strength failed, so did the Israelites' battle against Amalek. Like Moses, I felt I needed some support. Aaron and Hur stayed by Moses' side and supported him, steadying his hands to hold the rod up to God.See Ex. 17:8-12. That, I realized, was the position my practitioner friend was taking. The practitioner was there to support me in my effort to keep my thought clear.
