The Broken Train

Bible Reading: Philippians 4:4-7

“Oh, Nathan, don’t cry,” Sierra told her little brother when he showed her his broken train. “Let’s go see if Grandpa can fix it.”

They took the train to Grandpa. “No problem,” he said after checking it over. “I’ll make it good as new.” The kids followed him to his workshop, and Nathan hopped onto the workbench to watch.

“Grandpa, don’t do that!” Nathan cried when Grandpa started bending a wheel on the train. “You’ll make it worse.”

“Don’t be silly, Nathan!” said Sierra. “Grandpa’s fixing your train, not making it worse!” Grandpa nodded and continued his work.

“You’re not doing it right,” Nathan told Grandpa a moment later. “That piece has to go onto the engine—like this.”

He reached for the train, but Sierra batted his hand away. “Nathan! Stop telling Grandpa what to do!”

“Nathan, why don’t you go outside to play for a while?” suggested Grandpa, setting the train down. “This is going to take some time.”

“But I want my train now,” said Nathan. He grabbed it and headed for the door.

“Nathan, come back!” Sierra called after him, but he went on. “Silly kid! He gave you his train to fix and then took it back without letting you fix it.”

“He’ll bring it back,” Grandpa said. “We all do things like that sometimes.”

“Not me!” Sierra said firmly.

“Are you sure about that?” asked Grandpa. “Last week you told me you were worried about whether your parents would be able to afford for you to go to camp this summer. You said you prayed and gave it to God, right?”

Sierra looked puzzled. “Yes. Why?”

“Well, you were worrying about it again today,” Grandpa said, “so did you leave it with God, or did you take it back?”

“I—I guess I took it back,” admitted Sierra. “It’s hard not to worry.”

Grandpa nodded. “Worrying means we’re not trusting God to handle things that are out of our control. If you start to worry, why not pause and quietly talk to Jesus? Ask Him to help you and give you His peace.”

They both turned toward the door as Nathan came in and handed Grandpa his train. – Tanya Ferdinandusz

How About You?

Do you bring your problems, worries, and needs to God in prayer? After you do that, do you start worrying all over again? Once you have given something to God, don’t try to take it back. Ask Him to give you peace and patience as He handles the situation. Trust Him to work things out for His glory and your good—even if it’s in ways you don’t expect.

Today’s Key Verse:
Philippians 4:6 (ERV) Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need.

Today’s Key Thought:

Wait patiently for God to work