“Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.” -1 Pet 5:7
Are you worried about not having the money you need to pay your bills?
Do you feel overwhelmed by fear or panic when you think about your bills being higher than your income?
God is all-powerful, and he can help you get out of your financial distress. Don’t despair. No matter how bad things are, have hope in the Lord. Ask God for help, believe in God’s power, and take actions that cooperate with the practical means God provides for improving your situation.
Pray
Prayer in the morning or at night:
Lord, thank you for all the blessings you have given to me. I know that you love me and will take care of me always, even when I don’t understand why my situation is what it is. Please take care of me and grant me all that I need, especially [enter your specific need here]. I love you. Thank you. Amen.
###Scripture passages to repeat when you feel anxious about your situation:
“Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.” -1 Pet 5:7
“For with God nothing will be impossible.” -Lk 1:37
Who to pray to for intercession: St. Joseph
We recommend praying to St. Joseph because he knew what it was like to have to take care of the temporal and economic needs of a family amidst a precarious situation, particularly during his family’s hiding in Egypt (Mt 2:13-15).
Novena:
Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God. I place in you all my interests and desires. Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your divine son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, our Lord, so that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers.
Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart. Press him in my name and kiss his fine head for me, and ask him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath. St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for me.
We use the novena prayer above to pray to St. Joseph every day for a variety of needs, but we have prayed specifically for his intercession in financial needs at several points in our lives. Sometimes we have had to pray for these financial needs for longer periods of time, even years in one case, but the specific needs we have asked for have always been taken care of by God, thanks to God’s mercy and great love. Although we can never foresee exactly how the needs will be taken care of, God always answers our prayers.
St. Joseph is the patron saint of workers. Again, he knows what it’s like to be responsible for a family’s temporal and economic needs, and having a job and income are crucial for taking care of those needs.
Don’t be afraid to ask St. Joseph to pray for your specific financial needs. He is a friend who wants to help.
Cooperate with God
Take advantage of any opportunities God provides for improving your financial situation. Here are some steps you can take to keep the door open for God to work:
- Create a monthly budget that lists your income and your expenses. Identify expenses you can eliminate in order to keep your expense total less than your income total, even if eliminating these expenses will require sacrifice from you. Ask yourself, what am I willing to give up in order to not spend more than I make? Ask God to help you make these sacrifices.
- If your income is so low that you cannot cover basic living expenses, identify one way you can increase your income. Talk to God about your situation, and ask him to help you know what to do.
- Read books that can help you improve your financial situation. We recommend reading The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. This book will help you identify specific steps you can take to gain control of your financial situation, including getting out of debt, saving for emergencies, and building a retirement fund. Take what you read to prayer, and ask God to help you create your own financial plan according to his will for you.