Article February 15, 1947 Issue

Insistence Requisite

WILSON M. RILEY

The beautiful gem of prayer has many facets. Included among such facets as gratitude, humility, love for God and man, and consecration is insistence, an attribute which our beloved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, indicates is a requisite for Christianly scientific prayer.

A dictionary defines the verb "insist," in part, thus: "To take a stand and refuse to give way; to hold to something firmly." The adjective "insistent" is defined as "compelling attention." With these definitions in thought, it is helpful to consider the passage on page 412 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," where, under the marginal note "Insistence requisite," Mrs. Eddy uses this significant wording: "Mentally insist that harmony is the fact, and that sickness is a temporal dream." On page 421 of the same book she enlarges on the point with these words: "Insist vehemently on the great fact which covers the whole ground, that God, Spirit, is all, and that there is none beside Him." From these sentences it is evident that our revered Leader placed high value on persistent and insistent affirmation of the truth.

In considering this aspect of prayer, however, we should remember that mere human pleading, requesting, repeating, and insisting are not what is required. Human will, insistently expressing itself in prayer to God, will never bring forth a divine response. There must be, instead, the humble, selfless attitude of Christ Jesus when he prayed in Gethsemane, willingness to let the divine will operate.

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