Teaching a weekly Christian Science Bible class at a military base for young recruits of the United States Marine Corps has been a deeply fulfilling experience for me for a number of years. The young Marines, who come from all religious backgrounds, arrive at this class on Sunday mornings usually tired and sleepy from a hard week of training using weaponry and marching long distances over difficult terrain. In this Bible class they learn that they can tap into a power other than their own supposed limited physical power—the only real power in the universe, which is God, who is good. They often find an awakened desire to discover how God’s power can supply them with spiritual strength.
I have been struck by how some of the recruits have realized, because of the difficulty of their training, that they would like to have a more solid moral and spiritual foundation than they’ve ever had before. Many of these young Marines have a deep receptivity to spiritual ideas and a desire to be and do good.
Sometimes these recruits have come to me describing a physical difficulty they are dealing with, and I have asked if they wanted me to pray for them. When they have said yes, I have shared some words of encouragement that God can heal everything, and I have agreed to pray for them according to the spiritual truths explained in Christian Science; and I’ve expected healing. Many healings did occur after I prayed for them. Pinkeye, colds, coughs, and stress are just a few examples of what has been handled and healed with God’s care.
