Healing Across Time and Place

There are moments in life when distance feels painfully real—when someone we love is hurting, and all we want is to sit beside them and whisper, “You’re not alone.” Recently, I found myself in one of those moments.

My stepmother Penny, the woman who married my father and has been a loving presence in my life for more than 40 years, entered a serious health crisis—three heart surgeries, complications, and an infection that simply would not let go. My family immediately created a group text to hold her in prayer. As you might imagine, it soon overflowed with heart emojis, praying hands, and sweet messages of encouragement. I added my own prayers and joined the chorus of emojis, yet I felt called to do something more.

I placed her name with the Unity Prayer Ministry, knowing she would be held in continuous prayer for 30 days. And then, in the text thread, I shared something deeper—a prayer in the affirmative Unity style that has shaped my own journey and touched countless lives. This method has helped many transcend diagnoses and conditions that once seemed hopeless. I wrote:

“Knowing you are one with the Holy Spirit, every cell and every atom of your body is now vibrating with the healing energy of the Divine. Your life and your presence are a gift to this world. We all join together and say: Thank you, God, for the beautiful life and vibrant health of Penny. And so it is. Amen.”

The moment I hit “send,” something shifted. The prayer didn’t just lift my understanding of the situation—it uplifted the whole family. The tone of the conversation softened. Worry turned into faith. Fear opened into possibility. And my stepmother Penny, hundreds of miles away, felt surrounded by a blanket of love and expectancy.

God Is Always at Work

This is the quiet, astonishing power of collective consciousness, especially when paired with the tools of modern technology. Together, they allow us to reach beyond distance and circumstance, to transcend our human sense of “here” and “there,” and to remember that healing is not bound by geography or time.

When we pray affirmatively, we’re not begging God for a miracle. We’re remembering that God is always at work. We align ourselves with the Truth that already exists—that divine life is moving even when we cannot see it, and that wholeness is our birthright. And when multiple hearts hold that Truth at once, it becomes a beautiful chorus.

Healing can happen across time zones, across decades of old stories, across strained relationships, across hospital walls, and even across the limits of our own understanding. It happens whenever we remember who we are: expressions of One Presence, One Power, One Love.

If someone you love is far away or facing something heavy, don’t underestimate what your consciousness can offer. Speak the Truth. Hold the vision. Know the wholeness.

Join others in prayer around the world through the Unity Virtual Prayer Vigil online. Through your device, you will enter the chapel of continuous prayer and may stay as long as you like, praying with those at Silent Unity and countless others who are praying in that moment.

This article first appeared in the Unity booklet, When Someone You Love Needs Healing.