Resolving the Issues of Life

My oldest son Dru, like most young kids, loves to play video games.  At school he learned about a website full of hundreds of video games that he could play online.  I am fairly sure he’s played every game on that website and everyone in our house at least a time or two.  The only problem with Dru and his video game playing is that he seems to be discouraged easily when he does not complete a level on the game after a few tries.  I have come to recognize the tone of his voice and the phrases he uses when he needs help and comes to the master of video games in our house, and yes that would be me.  Dru will tell me something to the effect of “I can’t beat this level” or “Can you just get me past this part of the game”.  Being dad I oblige and take care of the problem he is having with the game.  My only charge to Dru for my service is a hug and he promptly goes back to playing his game until he once again reaches a difficult place and then comes running back to me.  When these difficult places in his games come up they are at the moment major issues that seem devastating to his little world.

God views His relationship with us in much the same way.  No matter what we do we will invariably run into issues in life.  God knows what issues we will face.  He also knows exactly how He wants us to respond and how He will resolve the issue.  When we face the issues in our lives we feel like Dru with his video games.  We feel overwhelmed, like we can’t get past what is bothering us and we feel like all we can do is go to our loving Father for help after we’ve exhausted our options.  So let’s look at the issues in our life from a perspective that will help us better handle the next issue that comes up.

1.  God knows what issues we will face.

This is part of what makes God who He is.  God is an omniscient, loving and caring God who is intimately concerned in every last detail of our lives.  If He did not know everything then He would not be God and we would not have need of Him.  But He is all knowing and sees the future and how it relates to the issues currently affecting our lives.  The issues in our life do not take him by surprise and so we need to learn to rely on Him first when we have issues.

2.  God wants us to seek Him first with the issues of life.

God doesn’t want us to be like Dru with his video games, waiting until we can do nothing else before asking our Father for help.  God wants us to immediately bring our issues to Him seeking His will and His wisdom on how to handle the situation.  Psalm 32:8 tells us what God will do for us if we will only seek Him out.  It says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”  If we look back at the verse before this, Psalm 32:7, we are told why it’s wise to seek Him out first.  It says “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”  God wants us to seek Him out when we run into problems because He has the answer waiting on us to ask for it.

3.  God knows how to resolve our issues.

When we face issues in life God already has the answer for how we need to resolve it.  Sometimes the answer is to “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” like Psalm 27:14 says.  Sometimes God needs us to move from where we feel comfortable to some place far outside our comfort zone.  And even other times the way God plans to resolve our issue is to allow us to be faced with His judgment because we have stepped away from Him.  No matter what the issue, no matter what the answer for resolving it we need to remember that God is still in control and He still loves us.

I hope as you face the next issue in your life or as you face the current storm surrounding you that today’s words will encourage you and give you hope.

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