God’s presence and healing power, here and now

People everywhere are looking for health and peace of mind, and many are finding it in the only place it can be found and stay secure – in the ever-present, infinite Love that is God.

Some years ago, I had a remarkable experience that was tangible proof to me that God heals. In March 2020, the week before the governor of my state instructed everyone to “shelter at home” as a result of the pandemic, I became quite ill with what I thought was a head cold but later learned were the symptoms of Covid. I worked to find healing through my own prayers, but after four days of worsening symptoms, I knew it was time to call a Christian Science practitioner for metaphysical treatment.

During the call, I listened carefully, receptively, as she reminded me of my spiritual origin and identity, and of the fact that no element of discord or disease – being unlike good, or God, who is All – could infect or contaminate me. As the reflection of God – which we all are – I was completely spiritual and safe in divine Love’s care. We were on the phone for only a few minutes.

I then walked into my bedroom to lie down. Suddenly, I had a tangible sense of God’s presence. The symptoms of illness lifted off me as if a heavy burden had been released. I was immensely grateful. I called the practitioner back immediately to let her know of this sudden turnaround resulting from her healing prayer.

In the Scriptures, the concepts of light and radiance are used when describing the divine presence. For instance, a burning bush appeared to Moses and was not consumed. In the book of Revelation, John speaks of the holy city, New Jerusalem, as having “no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (21:23).

More than anyone, Christ Jesus felt the radiant presence of God. In the Christian Science textbook, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “The nature of Christianity is peaceful and blessed, but in order to enter into the kingdom, the anchor of hope must be cast beyond the veil of matter into the Shekinah into which Jesus has passed before us; and this advance beyond matter must come through the joys and triumphs of the righteous as well as through their sorrows and afflictions.”

She continued, “Like our Master, we must depart from material sense into the spiritual sense of being” (pp. 40-41). The term “shekinah” comes from the Hebrew word “shakan” (to dwell), and it is used to describe “the majestic presence or manifestation of God” (Kaufmann Kohler, Ludwig Blau, jewishencyclopedia.com).

It’s undeniable to me that this was what I had experienced. As my thought had opened and I had been receptive to the spiritual truths the practitioner was declaring, it was as if a veil had been lifted from thought, and I glimpsed that all true being is spiritual and eternal and reflects God’s perfection.

This necessary departure from material-mindedness – from the insistent belief that there is life in matter – occurs continually, as moment by moment we humbly listen for and accept the holy ideas of Truth, God. It is a divine demand, and one that anyone seeking healing in Christian Science can meet.

As I have considered this, I’ve come to realize the importance of Jesus’ solitary retreats into desert places and mountaintops to commune with God. If Jesus needed to take time away from the noise and busyness of the day to be alone with God, then I certainly do. That’s true for anyone who wishes to follow the path Jesus pointed out and do the healing works he did – and even greater works.

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructed his followers, “When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you” (Matthew 6:6, New Living Translation).

During Jesus’ alone times with God, in prayer, he must have felt divine Love’s presence – the glory of the Lord shining round about him – and its transforming power. His prayers were not superficial pleas to an unknown God but strong affirmations of our spiritual identity and unity with our divine Parent. In the same way, we can feel and know God today.

Adapted from an article published in the March 2024 issue of The Christian Science Journal.