Post-recession: What's next?

When a recession hits, people ask what caused the downturn, who's to blame, and what can be done. While a constructive analysis can be useful in avoiding future negative swings in the economy, sometimes these questions unintentionally keep efforts focused on the severity of the problem rather than on formulating possible solutions. But there are other questions that lead to fresh insights and resolution, because these questions point us in a new direction.

Have you considered such questions as, Does God's presence fluctuate? Was there more of God and His goodness at another time? Or is He a constant provider for all of His children? Is there a divine source of supply? To answer these questions, a fresh approach is needed and from a different viewpoint – looking at the economy from a divine perspective as God sees it.

This perspective allows us to see a divine economy, in which the source of all good is God. The Psalmist wrote: "Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps" (Psalms 85:12, 13). Then consider how this divine economy is built on an everlasting Principle in which good is invariable and independent of financial cycles, disasters, or disruptions. But to understand this divine economy, one must look out from it, as God sees it. A simple analogy may help explain how to view this stable, God-blessed economy.

When we look up at the moon, it appears different at various times. Depending on the time of the month and the weather, the moon may appear as a sphere, a crescent, a sliver, or it may simply be unseen. The moon hasn't changed shape or disappeared, but conditions affect the way we see it. Looking out from the moon, one sees that it remains whole and perfectly placed in the universe, unaware that those on Earth may see it as changing. The perspective from the moon is correct and constant.

The divine economy of God's creating is stable, in which God supplies all that is right to His creation. God doesn't know boom times, recessions, or post-recession efforts. Those terms describe the uncertainty that colors the view of humans who attempt to look at the divine economy. But God sees His completeness, unchanging love, and eternal provision for His children. God is forever aware of His fullness and permanency. God knows that He isn't greater one day and less the next, but that He remains an enduring source of good. Mary Baker Eddy, who founded the Monitor, writes, "God is 'the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever;' and He who is immutably right will do right ..." ("Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," pp. 2-3).

Recognizing God-imparted goodness let my husband and me look away from limitations and fear during a difficult financial time. We were inspired by God's constancy to discover new ideas that led to financial remuneration and a lasting peace during all financial cycles. A view of the economy from God's vantage point is true – in contrast to the view from the changing phases of human concepts – and it blesses those willing to let God show them His perspective.