All my life I’ve relied on Christian Science for healing. I’ve consistently found Christian Science to be utterly reliable, effective, and health-giving. Last year, however, I had a bad toothache, and I must say that at first I was somehow believing that my teeth, gums, and mouth were outside the reach of God’s loving care.
I contacted a Christian Science practitioner to pray for me, but I was also unconsciously accepting the thought that if Christian Science didn’t heal the tooth problem, I’d simply go to a dentist. Then, at one point I couldn’t think straight because of the pain, so I decided to go to a dentist with the intention of having my tooth pulled. I was tempted to believe that I was personally responsible for healing the toothache through my own efforts. Accepting this false belief, I felt afraid and inadequate to effect healing. I had to learn to yield to the fact that God is the healer, not any human effort or willpower.
As I drove to the dentist’s office, I prayed all the way there, asking God to please stop me if this was not the way for me to go in dealing with this condition. When I got to the dentist’s waiting room, I saw a Bible sitting on a side table. I was surprised to see a Bible in a dentist’s office, but I was also delighted. I felt God would tell me what to do through the Bible. I prayed to God to show me what I needed to know, and then I opened the Bible at random to the verse that says, “Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you.” And just before this verse I read, “for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (II Chronicles 20:15, 17).
