A response to recession
Recession. The news media are full of gloomy predictions about it. Many people have already felt its painful effects. How can we find some protection? Prayer to understand God and the love and care He provides can be a good start.
Truly inspired prayer begins with the perfection of God and the consequent perfection of man, God is the one true Parent, man's Father-Mother. God's law support His children. The true selfhood of each of us is never separated from good, for it is never separated from God. Knowledge of this fact, infused into prayers, helps the one who prays -- or the one prayed for -- to rise above the level of believing himself only a helpless victim of material circumstances to the point of having dominion over his life.
Business slowdowns may disrupt lives and well-laid plans. One helpful way to handle such adverse situations is to realize that lack has no foundation in divine fact. God, divine Principle, is infinite cause. He maintains order and harmony in His universe. God's power and goodness do not fluctuate. Man's supply of good is constant -- and is so, right where the material senses indicate deprivation. Realizing these facts, and living by them, we find ourselves developing intuition, courage, and other qualities that ensure normal progress.
Christ Jesus proved in his healing work that God is able to meet mankind's needs. His demonstration of God's love proved that Deity is the source of true supply, that substance and health are God-given and immortal, not corporeal and finite. Adequate provision for human needs results from understanding in some measure the invincible law of Love -- glimpsing it and putting it into action.
If we keep our eye on an empty wallet, dwindling bank account, or pile of unpaid bills, we are apt to panic. Plans for the future fade away. But we can lift our eyes (thoughts) to something higher -- to the kingdom of heaven. It's not a far-off place. We're living in it now and forever -- in the consciousness of divine Mind, God. Mind maintains man. Needed things must come as we cultivate spiritual sense and become more aware of God's gifts -- qualities such as intelligence, patience, ingenuity, and unselfed love.
Faith in God's power opened the door to higher education for me during a time of severe financial trouble for my family. We'd lost our home, and my dad had a low-paying job. My earning a college degree seemed impossible.
I turned completely to God in prayer. "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass" n1 became a favorite Bible verse.
n1 Psalms 37:5.
I began to express gratitude for the good already evident in my life. Gratitude, I soon discovered, is a powerful destroyer of self-pity. I became more aware of my native reservoir of strength, intelligence, peace -- real substance. I began to trust Gold and let go of planning how my life should work out. Wonderful things happened.
An unused scholarship and a part-time job at a local two-year extension of the state university became available. Later, financial help came in the form of gifts, jobs, and a loan, so I could transfer and complete the last two years in residence at the main campus. Graduation day was an occasion of great happiness for my parents and me.
Your need may entirely different from mine. This is just one example of what can happen when we trust God's control over our lives and refuse to be influenced by the talk of recession and fear.
When we strive to seek God first, to love and express Him in all we think, say, and do, the evidence of His loving care will appear. It may not always be what we think we want, but our needs will be met.As Mary Baker Eddy n2 writes of God, "Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need." n3
n2 Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science.
n3 Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,m p. 494.
Trust divine Love. Accept the abundance of your sonship with God. You'll begin to discover the inevitability of adequate daily supply for yourself -- and for all mankind. DAILY BIBLE VERSE The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing. Isaiah 35: 1,2
