A Christian friend of mine was dealing with a problem that came about because of an ongoing conflict between his son and another boy. It seems his son had been on the receiving end of some schoolyard bullying. I don’t think it was too severe, but it had apparently been going on for a while because my friend had talked with me about it several times over more than a month and he was never quite sure how to handle it.
When someone tells me about a problem like this, even before I look to scripture for a specific answer, I suggest praying. I think most believers will do what’s right if they allow the Holy Spirit to lead them, assuming they’ve been spending time reading the Bible. After all, isn’t that one of the reasons we read Scripture? Aren’t we supposed to hide it in our heart, even if we don’t have it memorized by book, chapter, and verse? Aren’t we supposed to know the lessons of the Bible before we actually need them?
So the first thing I suggested to my friend was to pray. But his response surprised me. He said that prayer wasn’t going to help in his situation because he didn’t have any idea of what he should do and until then he didn’t know what he should pray for.
I wonder how many people think like this. How many people wait until they’ve got it “figured out” before they go to God in prayer? I know I’ve been guilty of this. I wait until I know what I think is the desired outcome and then I pray for God’s help to get to that outcome. After all, the world says we’re supposed to handle our own problems. “Cowboy up,” “don’t be a cry baby,” and “just deal with it” are the kinds of worldly counsel you’re likely to get when facing challenges. So even as a Christian we think we’re at least supposed to know what to do and then pray to God for His help in putting our plan into action.
Boy, does the world have it backwards! I’ve heard it said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans!” God’s plans always trump our plans, so why not go directly to Him and just get on with it? In James 1:5, we’re told, “If you need wisdom–if you want to know what God wants you to do–ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.” (NLT) James then goes on to say in verse 6, “But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect Him to answer.”
I know I get irritated at work when I’m brought in to manage a project after all the preliminary decisions have been made and the problems that result from bad decisions start to pile up. And I bet God gets a little miffed with us when we don’t bring Him into our lives until we’ve made a mess bigger than it needs to be. Perhaps, we should try Plan A first. Now, there’s a concept. Maybe, if we go to God to start with, we’d never need a Plan B.
Thom Fishow
February 20, 2011