Expert Help

Bible Reading: Psalm 37:3-7

"Hey, Mom, look!" Paisley held up a carton of milk. "Ryan and I were going to have a glass of milk, but it's partly frozen!"

"That's odd," said Mom, peering into the refrigerator. "Uh-oh! We have a problem. Other things are frozen too."

"Should we move the refrigerator out from the wall?" asked Ryan. "If I look at the back, maybe I can tell what's wrong."

Paisley laughed. "I doubt it. You don't know a thing about what makes refrigerators run. We need an expert."

"Yes," said Mom. "I'll call the repair man tomorrow."

When Paisley got home the next day, she took a carton of milk from the refrigerator and shook it. "The repair man must have been here," she said to Mom as she took a glass out of the cupboard. "I'm glad we called an expert and didn't try to fix it ourselves." Paisley sighed. "I wish I knew an expert I could call on to fix a problem I have. I try so hard to get along with both Molly and Sara, but they don't like each other, and they both want me to take their side."

"I know an expert who can help," said Mom.

Paisley was surprised. "You do? Who?"

"God," Mom replied. "When we have problems, we often forget to ask God about them and try to fix them ourselves. We need to pray and ask Him to help us."

"Okay, but…" Paisley hesitated. "I've heard that before, and it always sounds like my problems are supposed to just go away if I pray about them. But it doesn't work that way--at least not for me."

"Me neither," Mom replied. "But God does sometimes change the circumstances that trouble us. Other times He shows us how to handle them. He doesn't often give a sudden revelation of what to do, but as you trust Him and depend on Him, He'll guide you in what to do and give you the strength to do it. Jesus is always with us and promises to help us with all our problems. He may use things you've learned from the Bible to help you, or use people who give you advice."

Paisley smiled. "Okay. You said God uses people. Here's what happened today…"

-Wanda E. Brunstetter