The Great Problem Solver
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
You know? There is a funny truth that I have learned about storms. One thing is that you find out very quickly what your strongest foundation is. The second and maybe most important is you learn how to better weather storms each time you endure one. I bring this up as I have been recently overwhelmed by various issues. Of course, I know I can pray to God for help … until I forget that very fact. It happens very subtly. You get so great at handling crisis after crisis that you forget He is even there. Then suddenly, there you are fighting against the current wondering if you can make it. It was then that I had to humble myself to realize I fell into the trap that I suspect many of us do. We are so used to problem solving issues that when we get really good at it, we forget there is a problem solver that ultimately solves all problems.
The storms of life are the greatest opportunities to learn who God is and where He is in our journey of faith. There is nothing wrong with being good at dealing with issues. In fact, God gives us various abilities, strengths, and gifts of which one of them might be being adept at problem solving. The thing is sometimes, God tests us to make sure we are still reliant on Him and not our own doing. It is then where we can do one of two things. Either we can choose to continue to rely on what we do, which inevitably will lead to our demise, or we can grow from the experience and forge a stronger relationship with God that makes you both more reliant on and greatly aware of Him. It is that latter part that really ensures that we are continually growing in our faith.
It is there we find humility. We can recognize that our abilities and gifts are given by God alone. Paul understood this perfectly when God said to him, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). It is in our moments of weakness that His power is made perfect. By surrendering to His will and trusting in His guidance, we allow His grace to further develop our abilities and for us to better weather the storms and come out of them more like Jesus. More loving and stronger able to carry on more because, we know it is He that is doing the heavy lifting. Not us. And it is He who ultimately gets the glory.
God has always been our foundation even when we sometimes might forget. Thus, having daily prayers are important, but as I even once wrote, it is good to break some habits when they become more ritual and less authentic. If you go through something where God is being left out, that is the sign you need to change something. Let us be willing to push for our spiritual growth instead of falling into a self-reliant trap. How do I ensure that my foundation remains rooted in God rather than my own abilities? What changes do I need to make to ensure my prayers are more heart driven and less ritualistic? My prayer is that we learn to endure our storm never forgetting that God is always the ultimate problem solver. Amen.