Asking God for help—with math
For many years, I’d really struggled with my math classes. I’d had some success, but it had taken a lot of work. Tests were the worst. I was always anxious about them, even when I was confident that I knew the material.
But one of my first tests in my precalculus class had me more than anxious; I was really scared. No matter how much I studied, I still felt unprepared.
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During the test, I tried to calm down, but I was second-guessing every answer. I felt stupid and incapable, just like I had in my past math classes. I had no idea what to do and felt I might cry.
No matter how much I studied, I still felt unprepared.
Suddenly, an idea came to me: I could reach out to God.
“God, I know You’re with me right now. Please help me,” I thought.
I’ve learned in Christian Science Sunday School that we can always turn to God for help and that God, who is infinite intelligence and the one, all-knowing Mind, will always give us the right ideas. So that’s what I was leaning on in this moment.
It was only a brief recognition of God’s presence, and a few seconds later, I returned to the test. I wish I could say I felt confident when I turned it in, but I was still worried that I was about to get my worst test score ever.
When I got a notification that our test scores had been put into the grade book, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to look. But when I finally gave in and checked my score, it was 99 percent! There was even a comment from my teacher that said, “Wow, great job!”
I immediately burst out laughing. It was clearly a mistake. She must have put someone else’s grade in by accident.
I walked into class the next day prepared to see my real score when she handed out the tests. My teacher smiled encouragingly as she gave me my test. It still said 99 percent. I was stunned. I checked the name at the top of the paper: My name. My handwriting. My work. My score. How had this even happened?
Before every test, I acknowledged that I wasn’t doing anything on my own and that God would be with me the whole time.
Then it hit me. I had completely forgotten that I’d turned to God. The moment had been so brief that it had gotten lost in the whirl of anxiety that had overwhelmed me during the test. But God had been with me the whole time. My small moment of recognizing His presence had made all the difference. I had never been alone. Even my fear couldn’t separate me from God, divine Mind.
This realization that God never leaves me to fend for myself totally shifted my perspective for the rest of the year. I found that I no longer got anxious before taking tests. I wasn’t afraid that I would be faced with something I couldn’t handle. Before every test, I acknowledged that I wasn’t doing anything on my own and that God would be with me the whole time.
The entire year was smoother than ever before, and I even stopped hating math.
This experience has changed the way I approach all of my classes. In any situation, I know I can feel comforted by the confidence that God is with me.