The three-year teaching career of Christ Jesus as recorded in the Gospels is rich with practical examples of how to apply the spiritual law of being to the human condition. Much can be learned about healing sickness and sin by examining the relationship between Jesus' works and words. One subject on which such a study yields helpful insights for Christian discipleship is the preparation of thought required for effective prayer.
Before giving his disciples what has come to be known as the Lord's Prayer, Jesus said, "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Matt. 6:6. Commenting on this verse, Mrs. Eddy writes in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health: "The closet typifies the sanctuary of Spirit, the door of which shuts out sinful sense but lets in Truth, Life, and Love. ... To enter into the heart of prayer, the door of the erring senses must be closed. Lips must be mute and materialism silent, that man may have audience with Spirit, the divine Principle, Love, which destroys all error." Science and Health, p. 15.
This prelude to prayer— silencing disturbances in the mental environment and eliminating from consciousness any impositions that would detract from or interfere with receptivity to God's message—is illustrated again and again in Jesus' own healing works. For instance, when Jairus's daughter had apparently died, Jesus didn't walk right in and raise the girl. He first shut his detractors out of the room—clearing the atmosphere of interference— and then restored the child to life. See Luke 8:41, 42, 49-56. Likewise, when an adulterous woman was brought to Jesus for judgment, he first silenced her accusers before speaking to the woman compassionately and instructing her to "sin no more." See John 8:1-11. When a man with palsy was brought to him for healing, Jesus first dealt with objections he sensed from scribes and Pharisees who were watching; only then did he command the man to rise, take up his bed, and go home. See Luke 5:18-25. He confronted and disposed of similar objections before restoring a man's withered hand. See Matt. 12:10-13.
