I gained financial hope through prayer

When I think about the power of prayer, I often think about its ability to cut through the fears, worry, and sense of hopelessness that try to distract me. I think of fearful distractions as belonging to one of two groups: “outside forces” or “inside voices.”

The former might sound spooky, but I use that term to refer to human opinions, statistics, friendly warnings, advice, or other external suggestions. Although these often come from well-meaning friends, they can sometimes distract us from focusing on God’s direction. “Inside voices,” on the other hand, often begin with discouraging thoughts of “What if?” Fear is often the root of those thoughts, which play as loudly as they can and try to deprive us of joy. But neither one can hold a candle to the truth that comes with fervent prayer, with sincere desire, and with a listening ear. In the Bible this is referred to as a “still small voice.” It’s the real thing!

Growing up in one Christian denomination, I was taught that God is the source of both good and evil. But I later learned through Christian Science that God doesn’t send prosperity to some of His children and misfortune to others. God is Love, and hope is an outgrowth of the understanding that God is purely good.

I had the opportunity to prove this some years ago when I was suddenly left single with four children, two of whom were still living at home and one of whom was in college. I was supporting all of my children and paying college expenses for my daughter. Child support was at the bare minimum and coming in erratically at best. I had been a full-time mother with only a part-time job. Though I was teaching piano lessons to make extra money, it was May, and hardly anyone wanted lessons during the summer. The season for lessons would not start up again until September.

I had enough money in the bank to make my next two months of mortgage payments, but that was it. Things looked hopeless. My husband and I had barely made ends meet as a couple. How was I going to make this work as a single parent? My mind was whirling with questions, and they mostly started with those discouraging “inside voices”: “What if . . . ?” I was particularly worried that I would lose the home and we would have to move, as I had heard this was a statistically likely scenario for women trying support a family on their own. I also worried that my daughter would not be able to continue her college education.

I knew that fear was driving my thinking and that I needed to put on the brakes. I thought of the following passage from Science and Health: “The inaudible voice of Truth is, to the human mind, ‘as when a lion roareth.’ It is heard in the desert and in dark places of fear.” It was not easy, but slowly, with the help of a Christian Science practitioner and lots of fervent prayer, I began to see the fear subside, and the reality of God’s love began to surface.

I often thought about the Bible story of an impoverished woman from the fourth chapter of Second Kings. It tells of a woman whose husband has died and whose sons are going to be taken into bondage to pay his debts. The prophet Elisha asks the woman, “What hast thou in the house?” To which she responds, “Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.” Under Elisha’s guidance, the woman borrows vessels to hold oil from her neighbors and begins pouring her oil into the containers, and the supply of oil continues until it fills all the containers in the neighborhood! Then she is able to sell the oil for a profit and pay off her husband’s debt, with enough left over for her and her sons to live on.

Elisha’s attitude struck me. Rather than focusing on the widow’s predicament of losing her sons for a debt she could not pay, he asked her, in so many words, “What have you already got?” Her acknowledgment of what she did possess was what enabled the healing to take place.

I thought: What do I already have? My bank accounts were essentially empty. I looked in the newspapers for a job—no prospects. But as I walked around the house—aha! Space! Lots of usable space. This seemed like an answer to my prayers, and I knew I didn’t have to feel hopeless about my financial situation.

As I prayed and pondered what to do with the space, I realized that my children and I were being guided by divine Principle. It would not be principled, I realized, for us to suddenly lose our home or for the children’s education to be interrupted. Furthermore, such a circumstance would be impossible in a system governed by perfect Mind.

This realization led me to see the space for what it was: a blessing. I began to advertise and was able to rent out two rooms to boarders. Soon, income came. By this time it was fall, and suddenly the phone was ringing with requests for piano lessons. I went from teaching 20 lessons a week to teaching 35, without having done any extra advertising.

Earlier, the practitioner had suggested that I “leave no stone unturned” in seeking a sense of supply spiritually, and letting my actions be governed by God’s direction. I worked to do this, letting myself be directed by God’s inspiration, filled with hope by what I had seen so far of God’s abundance. I took on more teaching at a private school. I conducted music lessons during the school day, in addition to the after-school private lessons.

Soon, more opportunity arrived. In my basement space, I had been teaching a theater class with a friend. It was a very small activity—we had only seven students. But as I continued praying, I was led to ask for the class to become part of an after-school enrichment program. The local elementary school agreed to donate advertising and a new space, and suddenly our class had 30 students. Then 40!

The final confirmation of this demonstration came in dollar form. At the beginning of the summer, when the experience began, I was earning about half of what I knew I would need to keep myself and my children afloat. There seemed to be no way to meet our financial obligations. But by the same time next year, my income had doubled. My sincere prayer and practical actions had brought the money we needed, just as unwaveringly as the oil in the Bible story flowed into the widow’s many empty vessels. The following year, my income almost doubled again. Even though I lived through that experience, it still strikes me as a remarkable proof of divine supply.

I rely on spiritual ideas every day, and these form the basis for my income. I teach theater class in various locations, and the first thing I do is remember to be grateful for what I have. I try to appreciate what I already have in place, and think about how it can enhance and support my theater productions.

I know that I always have a choice either to see a lack of resources and income or to acknowledge that my supply is spiritually evident. I often think of this quote from Science and Health: “In the scientific relation of God to man, we find that whatever blesses one blesses all, as Jesus showed with the loaves and the fishes,—Spirit, not matter, being the source of supply.” This concept is mirrored wonderfully in the following Bible verse: “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Today, the theater program continues to expand, and I am continually provided with examples of divine plenty. This experience has shown me that no matter how grim a situation may seem, hopelessness doesn’t have to be our response. Instead, we can put our confidence in the wisdom that comes through prayer, knowing that there is no problem that cannot be overcome spiritually. I have always found that my needs are supplied when I first turn to God and recognize the abundance of real, spiritual substance.

Elaine Jarvis runs a musical theater company and lives in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

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