Aligning with Healing Power
Prayer is the answer for diseases thought incurable and diagnoses we believe are intractable.
When I was diagnosed HIV-positive in 1988, I needed to shift my understanding of God and healing. Raised in the Catholic tradition, I always understood and used prayer to request what I wanted from God. Today I use affirmative prayer to shift my consciousness so I can face and overcome situations that arise.
This fundamental shift occurred when I understood that God did not withhold health from me. Nor had God given me the disease as some divine test or punishment. After all, we often say God is love. If that is true, God is continuously showering me with vibrant health and well-being. Only my thoughts, beliefs, and actions can block these divine blessings and cause my dis-ease.
Surrendering to Divine Order
With my new understanding, I started to offer prayers of surrender to God’s grace and divine order. I knew that as I released thoughts of disease, pain, and unworthiness, I could accept the love and health that are my birthright.
I then shifted my prayers to gratitude, seeing God’s loving presence cleansing and restoring my body and mind to health and happiness. Each baby step along the way allowed me to take in more and more of the gifts God constantly provides.
I absorbed the words of scripture in a new way and knew my body is a divine gift, as I am created in God’s image and likeness. I searched my mind and did the work necessary to release any belief that I was flawed or unworthy of God’s love.
In my daily prayers, I continually affirmed that disease and illness were leaving my body, and I thanked the angels for gently and lovingly escorting them out. I gave thanks for my body’s strength, resilience, and wholeness.
With my new understanding, I started to offer prayers of surrender to God’s grace and divine order. I knew that as I released thoughts of disease, pain, and unworthiness, I could accept the love and health that are my birthright.
Affirmative Prayer and Wellness Days
Decades have passed since that diagnosis, and I have never experienced any HIV-related infections or illness. More than that, I have expanded my prayer practice to all aspects of my health and use affirmative prayer to keep from flu, colds, and other diseases. I take wellness days to keep my body and mind in sync with God’s love, and I forgive myself when my attention is distracted by fear.
Of course, I take precautions. I receive medical treatments and I take medications and vaccines because I know doctors and medicine are extensions of God’s love. I wore masks through the Covid-19 pandemic and encouraged all people to do the same.
I did contract HIV, I have had other ailments, and I know I am not immune to all earthy disease. At the same time, I know there is a power and presence greater than any disease or diagnosis, and I use affirmative prayer to align myself with its strength.
I know I am continually growing in my understanding and practice of prayer. Ranging from rote prayers to free-flowing inspiration, the practice of prayer varies from culture to culture, religion to religion, and person to person. Still, it is what all faiths have in common.
Wherever you are on your faith journey, I know you, too, can use the power of prayer to heal and transform your life. Dive in!
This article first appeared in the Unity booklet The Power of Prayer.