At one time, a blemish that had appeared on one of my index fingers became an open sore and caused noticeable swelling. Initially I prayed about the situation on my own, but when my entire hand became swollen, I decided to call a Christian Science practitioner to pray with me.
From the very start the practitioner encouraged me not to focus on the condition, but to consider how the word hand is used in the Bible, beginning with what Jesus tells us about the kingdom of heaven (harmony) being “at hand” (Matthew 4:17). He reminded me that we can look away from the body and realize heaven, harmony, here—at hand—right now. This was a great time of spiritual discovery for me as I looked up other biblical references to the word hand. One of these verses that I kept uppermost in thought was from Isaiah: “For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee” (41:13).
There was fear expressed in my household, however, and I became fearful as well. Particularly helpful at this time was the story in the book of Matthew where Peter walked out over the waves to meet Jesus. Peter was doing just fine until “he saw the wind boisterous” and began to sink. Jesus extended his hand and saved Peter from his fears that were incited by what he saw with his eyes (see Matthew 14:25–33).
