I WAS STUNNED. At an appointment to have my teeth cleaned, a dentist whom I had not previously visited informed me that I had a serious gum disease and scheduled me to come back for special procedures. He also warned me that there could be dire consequences by not taking care of this diseased condition right away. Being accustomed to turning to prayer in times of need, I knew that I could trust God, Mind, in this instance as well. Arriving home, I immediately called a Christian Science practitioner to assist me through prayer.
The practitioner shared with me her own experience of a disturbing dental diagnosis and how she had been healed through prayer. This was encouraging to me, and I turned to the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy for inspiration. The story of Daniel in the lions' den (see Dan., chap. 6) caught my attention. In the story, King Darius gave the captive Daniel a position of trust and importance in his reign because of the wisdom and understanding Daniel exhibited. But filled with jealousy and seeking a way to bring Daniel into disfavor with the king, the other presidents and princes convinced King Darius to sign into law a command that no one could petition "any God or man" other than the king. Once it was signed, even the king could not change this law.
Daniel, despite knowing the law had been enacted, knew that his God was the only God, and so he continued to pray. This forced the king to throw him into the lions' den. When the king found Daniel safe and sound the following morning, Daniel attributed his deliverance to God's recognition of Daniel's complete innocence—and therefore his protection.
