Wanting To Know The Answer

Years ago, I had to deal with driving in the Seattle morning traffic to get to work. One day my car just died in the middle of the freeway. I got over to the side of the road and had to deal with a dead car during traffic AND get to work on time.

I brought it to a mechanic who thought he found the problem and after some of my money flew from my pocketbook to his, I was on my way.

Well, a few days later, I found myself stuck on the side of a long, lonely road in Seattle because once again, my car died.

So I handed over some more money to a mechanic after he believed he fixed the problem, and then I was on my way.

I don’t remember exactly how many times this happened, but it was enough times to be exasperating and I began to not trust my car anymore.

Finally, a mechanic found a loose wire and the problem was fixed.

Whew!

Isn’t it frustrating when you have a problem…think you found the solution to the problem, only to discover…you still have the problem?

Lately, we’ve been dealing with something like this with my daughter. We go to the doctor. He does his best to give us the right diagnosis and the correct way to handle the situation, only to discover that’s not the answer to the problem.

So far all of the test that have been run, end up being good, she is healthy. Which is a very good thing, yet, she has a symptom that comes from out of the blue randomly interrupting her day.

Just a few weeks ago, we thought we had the answer, only today because of what occurred this week, the doctor said, no, I don’t think that’s what it is.

Now we are coming at this whole thing from another angle.

It’s frustrating. I’m glad that she passes her test because, yay, she’s healthy, but I feel frustrated we can’t find out what is causing her symptoms. Even though this angle is a better angle than prior ones, it still frustrates me to have to go down another avenue in the hopes of taking care of the problem.

I’m hoping the doctor’s suggestion today works for her and we don’t have to go any further, yet apprehensive that it may not be that.

Sometimes we can just be pulling out our hair over something that goes on in our life. Where is the answer? I need to fix this problem!

It’s a really tough place to be.

God does tell us to come to Him for wisdom.

James 1:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

He tells us not to worry.

Matthew 6:25-34

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

He tells us not to be anxious.

Phillippians 5:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

To cast our cares upon Him.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

And if the answer doesn’t come right away…then comes the…WAITING. In which there are verses all through the book of Psalms on waiting for the Lord.

Don’t you hate waiting? It can cause anxiety, frustration, hopelessness…

How good are you when you are on hold waiting for someone to help you on the phone?

How good are you when you are in a drive thru line at a coffee shop? Hamburger place? Bank?

Ever have to go someplace and you leave with plenty of time to get there yet you hit all the red lights and end up barely making it to your destination?

Does the person on the other end of the phone line ever pick it up fast enough for you? Do the lines move fast enough?

I know I have days when I seem to wait extra long, everywhere I go, all day, and by the end of it, I will still have a list and I am a wiped out mess.

When does a person want an answer?

Now. Right?

In the Bible there are so many people who seem to wait a long time for their promises to come through. They wait and wait…sometimes they give up…but God always came through.

The apostle Paul came to God about an issue, three times, God told him His grace was sufficient for Him.

Okay, is that an answer that would be sufficient in these times? Don’t we want the answer to be, here’s the solution…here now it’s fixed…here now you’re all better?

Of course. Who doesn’t?

But it doesn’t always happen that way.

Still, as a person reads the Word and sees how God works in people’s lives, when a person hears the promises that are made, when a person learns how God is working EVERYTHING out for good…when things are cast upon Him and the answer doesn’t come right away…a confidence in Him is built because a person knows HIM.

The One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, can be trusted to have “good” be the ultimate end in His plan for a person’s life.

Trusting in Him can bring a peace when we sit and wonder what is going on or what am I going to do now?

Philippians 4:5-7

⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

All Bible verses from Bible Gateway NIV translation