Article October 6, 1980 Issue

Don't take "no" for an answer

LEE E. LAWDER

To heal in Christian Science, we sometimes need persistence. Christ Jesus tells a parable about a widow who came seeking justice from a judge "which feared not God, neither regarded man." Apparently, the woman came to him again and again. She wouldn't take no for an answer. The judge finally said to himself, "Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me." ^{ Luke 18:2, 4, 5;} Jesus used this example to show the importance of persistent prayer, illustrating that if an unjust judge can be persuaded to fill a request, how much more will God do for those who serve Him.

However, Mrs. Eddy reminds us in Science and Health: "The 'divine ear' is not an auditory nerve. It is the all-hearing and all-knowing Mind, to whom each need of man is always known and by whom it will be supplied." ^{ Science and Health, p. 7;}

Prayer, then, must be more than a mental or spoken expression of praise or petition. Persistent prayer is the constant acknowledgment of God's allness and power—the living of each moment to the glory of God. Prayer lifts us to the realization of man's oneness with God. Paul urges us, "Pray without ceasing." ^{ I Thess. 5:17;} That seems like a tall order. How can we attend to our business if we spend our entire day in prayer? By knowing that our real business is a constant expression of man's individual oneness with the Father. Desiring to feel this oneness throughout the day is true prayer. Unceasing prayer is "the whole armour of God," which repels the attacks of negative thought and helps us realize they are unreal and no part of man's true being.