When Moses led the children of Israel through the wilderness, God provided manna to feed them when their food supply had been exhausted. Each one was told to gather what he could eat for that day and not to try to store extra for the following day. It is recorded, "He that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack." ^{Ex. 16:18;} Supply was equal to demand. Furthermore, those who were disobedient and tried to gather extra manna for the next day found that the manna spoiled and could not be used. However, each morning fresh manna was supplied to meet their needs for that day.

Here is a wonderful example of how our needs are met daily by God. We do not need to wonder how or why or to let anxiety for tomorrow creep in. We need to trust that God's law of invariable supply was in operation yesterday, is operating today, and will provide for all our needs tomorrow.

Today's newspapers often report unemployment and lack. Christian Science assures us, however, that God's law of invariable supply always meets every legitimate need and we can prove this. It teaches us not to ask God to give us material things—a successful business or a good job—but to pray for an understanding of spiritual reality. We pray to understand that in the perfect spiritual universe of God's creating—the only real universe—supply always meets demand. We seek the understanding that God's qualities, His wisdom, intelligence, spiritual power, and spiritual understanding, are already present and that we reflect these qualities without limit. Knowing that we do reflect infinite intelligence and wisdom, we're guided to use our resources wisely.

We seek further to understand that in God's perfect universe man is already complete, lacking nothing and expressing the substance of all good. God, who is the creator and source of all good, cannot know lack, and neither can His reflection, man. God is always unfolding an infinite supply of right ideas. He is complete within Himself, and His unlimited resources sustain the entire universe.

From a material standpoint, individuals seem to be competing for a limited supply of resources and income. But in God's spiritual universe there is infinite good, which supplies every individual. The man of God's creating does not compete, combat, or seek to corner his share of the wealth. To the degree that we identify ourselves as God's man in thought and action, we find our needs satisfied naturally and completely; we lose a sense of lack or restriction.

Mrs. Eddy writes: "God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies. Never ask for to-morrow: it is enough that divine Love is an ever-present help; and if you wait, never doubting, you will have all you need every moment." ^{Miscellaneous Writings, p. 307;} When we really understand that spiritual ideas are the source of our supply, we can see how dependable that supply is. Ideas can't be used up or exhausted, and there is an infinite supply of spiritual ideas. God's provision of these ideas never fluctuates, never changes, never diminishes. It doesn't spiral up or down with varying economic conditions. His goodness is dependable and always unfolding under every condition. God's endowment of good is an expression of divine Life, and Life has no beginning, no ending. Divine goodness is uninterrupted by any material condition or circumstance.

When a widow came to Elisha and asked him to save her two sons from being taken bondmen by her creditors, he asked, "What hast thou in the house?" ^{II Kings 4:2;} She replied that she had only a pot of oil. Then Elisha commanded her to borrow empty vessels from all her neighbors and to pour the oil out into all the vessels, which she did. She and her sons paid the debt, and the remaining oil supplied their living. Elisha's perception of the inexhaustible nature of God's goodness enabled the woman to pay her creditors.

In Christian Science we learn to translate the question "What hast thou in the house?" into "What hast thou in consciousness?" How receptive are we to God's spiritual ideas, which show us the good already at hand? Spiritual vision leads us to take the right steps, to look in the proper direction to have our needs met. Perhaps through receptiveness to the one Mind we're prompted to take fresh inventory of our skills, abilities, and resources. This in turn may reveal hidden talents or latent abilities potentially useful to an employer. When we humbly pray for God's guidance, we find His truths open our thought to opportunities we may have overlooked.

When I was preparing to go to college, my family was able to provide a major part but not all of the finances needed. However, we never doubted I would have the education I required. We trusted that God's supply of spiritual ideas would meet every need. I applied for the work I thought would be most interesting, but there were no openings. Then I stopped figuring what my position should be and began humbly listening to God. Through prayer the thought came to apply for work where certain secretarial skills I had might be useful. There was an opening, and this job helped to pay college expenses.

By my opening my thought to God, by my being receptive to His spiritual ideas, my daily needs were met. Humbly trusting God's law of supply, I was led to unexpected sources of income later on. In every case I was grateful that I could be receptive to spiritual ideas. They prompted me to use God-given intelligence and skills already present.

At times of national or international emergency, of widespread unemployment or of refugee problems, we may wonder what we can do to help. Christian Science enables us to contribute greatly to solutions. We can affirm through our prayers that God's law of supply is available to meet the needs of every individual, that His unbounded goodness and impartial love must be manifested in necessary shelter, clothing, food, employment, protection, companionship. We can affirm that Christ, the true idea of God, is already present and active in the consciousness of each one, awaking him to the universal and unlimited nature of God's provision for man; that our prayers will be effective; that they will bring healing. Mrs. Eddy tells us, "It is not well to imagine that Jesus demonstrated the divine power to heal only for a select number or for a limited period of time, since to all mankind and in every hour, divine Love supplies all good." ^{Science and Health, p. 494.}