Article October 22, 1966 Issue

Persistence Reveals Progress

DONNA NALLEY RYBURN

Early in his career Christ Jesus demonstrated the power of persistence in prayer to defeat the aggressive temptations of error. According to Matthew, he was forty days tempted of the devil in the wilderness. The full extent of the temptation during that period is unknown, for only three of the devil's suggestions are recorded. But these three are enough to tell us that the experience required of Jesus great perseverance and clarity of thought, a steadfast trust that Love would protect and Truth prevail.

Christian Science teaches us to pray as Jesus prayed, to spiritualize individual human consciousness and thereby prove God's power to heal the sick and bring progress to our experience. If a case does not yield readily to prayer in Christian Science, this is not an indication that Christian Science cannot heal the case but rather an indication that the rules of this divine Science need to be more diligently applied. It is well to note that our Exemplar did not give in to discouragement after several days of battling the various temptations that arose in his thinking. He persevered until temptation was utterly routed. "Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him."^{Matt. 4:11;}

Mrs. Eddy recognized our need of persistence if we are to attain the height of Jesus' demonstration. In "Miscellaneous Writings" she says, "Only by persistent, unremitting, straightforward toil; by turning neither to the right nor to the left, seeking no other pursuit or pleasure than that which cometh from God, can you win and wear the crown of the faithful."^{Mis., p. 340;}

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