No, it's not what you think. It's not just that the pain got so bad I had to learn to pray earnestly and fervently. That would be a good story, but this story is stranger than that. And far more wonderful.
Years ago I learned an ancient prayer used by Eastern Orthodox Christians. The Jesus Prayer is the essence of simplicity. The version I learned, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me," is a prayer that can be recited or sung repetitively, a way of "praying without ceasing." I learned a tune to sing the prayer from an old film on the life of John Hus. As he was burned at the stake for his Reformation views, he died singing, perhaps (at least in the movie version) singing this ancient prayer. So the movie version of John Hus taught me to sing the Jesus Prayer.
A couple of years ago my neck started hurting. I went to physical therapy. My therapist not only manipulated my back and neck but also taught me exercises that would help stretch the muscles which were causing my neck pain. Ten seconds in the position, thirty in that. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
I recently discussed my neck/back pain with a doctor friend who was on a mission trip with me. He told me that I would probably have to live with the discomfort, that I needed to think of this disorder in terms of pain management. He suggested that the best remedies short of surgery are the stretches and analgesics I am already using.
Lately, I've begun incorporating the Jesus Prayer into my stretches. Instead of counting seconds, I sing the Jesus Prayer; three times for one stretching exercise, more for some of the others. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Miracle cure? No. Neck and back still hurt from time to time. But this discomfort now has a different meaning in my life. The pain prompts me to pray, and that's good in a way that I never expected.
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