Understanding God heals unbelief

The Bible records a touching account of a father who brought his son to Christ Jesus for healing. When Jesus told the father that ''all things are possible to him that believeth,'' the man cried out, in tears, ''Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.'' n1 The account goes on to describe Jesus' healing of the boy.

n1 Mark 9:23,24.

Is it possible today, centuries after the Master performed his marvelous cures, to conquer unbelief and evoke divine assistance? Absolutely! We can begin by recognizing God as the creator of all that is real and good. The Bible teaches that God is Spirit, infinitely benign, absolutely good and pure, the supreme source of authority and intelligence. It is from this standpoint of absolute perfection and incomparable power that God governs His creation, man. This creation is not, then, molecular or corporeal but spiritual; it is not subject to material conditions and causes but to God alone, the only genuine cause.

This line of reasoning may seem abstract to a limited, human perception of things - a perception that views life in strictly physical terms. Nevertheless, such reasoning is immensely practical. In the Bible story, even though the child's ailment appeared to be physical, the solution Jesus prescribed involved a change of thought. The Master's teachings clearly show how important it is that an individual's thoughts and actions proceed from an enlightened view of God, and he consistently illustrated the immediate benefits of this approach by his healing work.

When the father in our story realized that what he actually needed was a deeper, more enlightened faith, he turned humbly to the Christ, desirous of a firmer foundation on which to rest his belief.

Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, writes, ''Our false views of life hide eternal harmony, and produce the ills of which we complain.'' n2 It is a false perception of the nature of existence and its creator that really underlies suffering, not some material substance or condition.

n2 Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 62.

Studying the Bible prayerfully, searchingly, along with Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mrs. Eddy, has helped many people understand the deep spiritual truths that underlay Jesus' teaching and practice. Even a small understanding of the nature of God can have a decisive healing effect. I saw this for myself one evening when I developed such a severe headache that I felt unable to continue working without some relief from the pain. Quietly, sincerely , I turned to God for help. I wanted to believe that because God, good, did not create or inflict pain, I could not experience it. I reasoned that either God is All or there is no God; that either there is no pain or pain is constant and irreversible. Well, I know that there is a God, and I know that pain has no source in Him, and therefore no continuity or authority. This understanding healed me immediately, and I returned to my work.

Mrs. Eddy writes: ''Either there is no omnipotence, or omnipotence is the only power. God is the infinite, and infinity never began, will never end, and includes nothing unlike God.'' n3 A spiritually inspired reading of the Bible confirms the truth of God's omnipotence and goodness. As we become willing to accept this fact, in all its implications, we find our belief in suffering waning and our trust in God strengthened. We find ourselves healed!

n3 Ibid., p. 249.

DAILY BIBLE VERSE Happy is the man. . . that getteth understanding. Proverbs 3:13