I had an experience in the chemical manufacturing business not unlike that of Joseph in the Bible, but with a modern-day setting.
In 1952, as a young chemical engineer with a major oil company, I prepared to enter a business of my own that would utilize certain refinery by-products. General economic conditions were unfavorable, but both my wife and I had approached this with a determination to rely on divine guidance. We were learning in Christian Science that an idea of Mind is always complete, regardless of the human evidence.
After much prayerful thought I quit my "secure" job and set out to line up raw material sources in several southwestern states. The result was like Joseph's, who was pulled out of the pit only to be sold as a slave. The situation hardly seemed to be the result of prayer. I found that the materials were simply not available. During that trip, while driving, I sang aloud hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal. The solution that came to me was to synthesize basic chemicals rather than to rely on oil by-products. But investigation showed that this wasn't practical in the cost range needed. Again, this didn't seem the answer expected from divine guidance.
