Noisy Troubles

Bam! I was on my way home from an appointment with my income tax accountant when my Ford Focus announced that it needed attention: brrramble, rumble, grumble. It made noisy sounds like a Sherman tank might make as it clanked and rumbled down the road. My car definitely didn't make the purring sounds of a compact car. Thankfully, God had already given me a good auto mechanic who will likely discover what needs to be fixed and will know how to fix it.

Fairly late the same night, the phone jangled, and my daughter and I spent two hours talking as she poured out her grief about a wayward child. Then, she asked about the church that I've been attending. I pulled out the bulletin from last Sunday and read a prayer that exactly addressed her situation. We were both overwhelmed with gratitude and amazement at God's timely provision. God had provided a prayer to fit her need even before the situation occurred, as He had promised through the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 65:24 – It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. (NKJV)

The prayer gave us both much needed comfort, and I've reproduced it as today's prayer below.

The very next day, trouble reared up again. Seems my disadvantaged son had blown all the money that he had earned doing odd jobs … on the lottery. I'm sure that God is still working on this one, as are we. We've not seen results yet, but we are praying and have taken steps not to enable his habit.

One thing that I've discovered is that often God's timing doesn't match ours. For what He allows, He's got His reasons that often puzzle us. For me, it's a matter of having faith in God's ultimate purpose and placing trust in Him that He has our best interests at heart, as the apostle Paul and Solomon each wrote:

Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (NKJV)

Ecclesiastes 9:1 – The righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. (NKJV)

To paraphrase him extremely loosely, "Thankfully, God's got this, because I don't!"

Without a shadow of a doubt, life will continue to throw noisy troubles our way. When that happens, we may be tempted to pound a wall and shout, "What else can go wrong?" Let's take a hint from Paul and old King Solomon: Everything is in God's hands. I know that's easier said than done, but I've found that the more I exercise faith, the easier it becomes. Hopefully, some day, it will be our knee-jerk reaction.

Let's proclaim, "God's got this", and then, turn our worries, fears, and troubles over to Him in prayer. After all, He's eager to hear from us.

Prayer: Gracious God, we rejoice in Your tender care for us when we are in the wilderness of life. When we face difficulties, You miraculously make a way forward. You lead us to the living water of Christ to refresh and sustain us. You nurture us by Your Word and Spirit. You fortify our faith, so that we will live to praise You. Amen.

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