Waiting for the One Who Knows What to Do

Read: Psalm 37:3-7

Something was rubbing against the chain when Lyle tried to ride his bike, and with his mom’s medical bills piling up, there was no way his family could afford a new one.

“Dad said he would fix that.” His sister’s voice came from behind him as he started to work on the bike himself.

“He’s looking over the budget again,” Lyle said. “He never has time.” Lyle tugged on the wheel with all his might, and his mouth dropped open when he broke it right off the bike. “Oops.”

“Lyle!” his sister exclaimed. “Now it can’t even be fixed.”

Lyle put a hand over his face. “I should have waited for Dad.”

That evening Lyle’s dad peeked into his room. “I just saw your bike. What happened?”

Lyle sighed. “I was trying to fix it.”

“I told you I would take a look at it.”

“I know, but you were so busy,” Lyle said. “You have Mom to take care of, and you’ve been trying to figure out how you’re going to pay the bills…”

Dad stepped into the room. “I have been busy. Life has been hard for all of us. I’m sorry.”

“I was trying to fix it by myself and I ended up making things worse,” Lyle said. “I don’t know if you’ll be able to fix it anymore.”

“I’ll look at it.” Dad walked across the room. “You know, bud, you’ve got me thinking about something your mom has been telling me. She said that her sickness and our finances are out of my control. She sees me trying to fix things and tells me I need to stop, that I need to put it all in God’s hands.”

“Because He’s our heavenly Father and knows best?” Lyle asked.

“Right.” Dad smiled. “He’s our Father because He loves us so much that He gave His Son to die for us. He sent Jesus to save us from sin because we could never do it ourselves.” Dad sat down on the bed. “I mess up when I try to handle things on my own. I need to trust Him.”

Lyle nodded. “I hope I didn’t mess up the bike forever.”

“Why don’t we go take a look at it together?” said Dad. “And maybe we could ask God to show us what to do too.”

–Emily Acker

How about you? What do you do when you have a problem and don’t know what you should do? Do you ask God for help and wait for Him to take care of things? Or do you try to handle everything on your own? God loves you and cares about everything you’re going through, and He wants you to come to Him for help. Instead of trying to fix things yourself, ask Him for help and trust Him to know what to do.

Today’s key verse: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Trust God and wait for Him