SENTINAL WATCH May 18, 2009 Issue

PRAYER FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

ERIC M. NAGER

ACCORDING TO the Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses collectively account for millions of dollars in sales—about half of US economic output—and two-thirds of new jobs annually. And of course many countries have equivalent industries as well.

During the current economic downturn, many small businesses are struggling in the face of lower sales and higher expenses. Including these companies in our prayers for global economic recovery will be a blessing for them and for the members of their community who rely on their services and the jobs they provide.

Since I'm involved in a small business myself, I do a lot of praying, and I've found it helpful to draw on the first part of Mary Baker Eddy's description of man from the Glossary in Science and Health. She wrote that man, which includes both the male and female of God's creating, is "the compound idea of infinite Spirit" (p. 591).