Editorial March 4, 1967 Issue

Be Importunate in Your Prayer

William Milford Correll

In his instruction on prayer Christ Jesus told a story to teach a particular lesson. He used the illustration of a man who had an unexpected guest and who, in the middle of the night, went to a friend's house to borrow bread for the occasion. The friend was loath to get up and furnish it. But the man persisted in his asking, and finally his friend rose and gave him what he needed. Jesus concluded, "I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth." Luke 11:8;

Here is an instance of Jesus' effective use of parables, or stories. He used them for a specific purpose, to illustrate a point. Once that point is established, one should not try to overly interpret the parable beyond that point. For example, it would not be consistent with Jesus' teachings to construe that God is changeable or that one could persuade Him to change. Jesus taught the perfect, unchanging nature of God as divine Love forever blessing His children. The point of the parable is for us to be persistent in seeking to understand and to realize God's presence and power. Prayer as understood in Christian Science is designed, not to change God, but to bring us into harmony with Him. In this desire and effort we must be importunate.

God is divine Principle, infinite Love, unchanging Truth. He is also the loving Father-Mother of man, feeding, sustaining, and empowering His creation. Man in God's image and likeness is a perfect, spiritual idea expressing the nature of his divine source. Christian Science teaches that one can understand and demonstrate the scientific relation of God and man as divine Principle and idea. In pursuing this end, we seek and logically petition for understanding. In our relative position of progress it is perfectly scientific to ask God for understanding. This shows a humble, receptive state of thought that finds communion with the source of all wisdom. Jesus said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." v. 9;

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March 4, 1967
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