Have you ever encountered a situation in which you had no idea what to do?
The United States has a population of more than 327 million, the world has an estimated population of more than 7.53 billion (2018 figures), and there would be a variety of answers to my question. But think about your own experiences. What did you do?
We know how to look up help in a phone book ... woops. That's old technology, and hints at my age. We now often "Google it" to find help. Or we ask friends who they recommend for us to call. But in some manner, we look for someone we think we can trust. Hiring them, we put our faith in them to solve the problem.
A month ago, our trailer developed a water leak. We found the area of the leak, but didn't know how to fix it, so we called in an expert. The repairman came out within an hour and took care of it in 30 minutes. Situation solved. Or so we thought. After traveling to the next town and connecting to the water system, water resumed leaking out from under the bathroom cabinet. Since the RV expert didn't cure the trailer's ill, we have to do something else.
We know the general area of the leak, but it's in very tight quarters and we can't reach it. So, we'll bump it up to a higher level of expertise and take it back to the dealer. We have faith in them, and are confident that they can take care of the situation. Until we get there, we won't use the water system.
That reminds me of a situation back in 1973.
I was an Accredited Journeyman Home-Appliance Technician, and was called out often to repair these necessities of life. Most of the calls were routine and simple for me to fix. Of course, I've told our kids, "Anything's easy if you know how to do it." And I knew most of the appliances inside and out.
But one day I was called to a home to repair a washing machine that I had never seen before. If it had been a Hotpoint, Frigidaire, Maytag, or any other of many brands, I would have done the job within an hour and been on my way. But I didn't have the knowledge to repair this one.
Normally, a higher authority would be called -- but I WAS the authority. What was I supposed to do now?
Actually, I was the authority on the human level, but there was, and is, a higher authority on my call list: that authority is God. Because of past circumstances in which God guided me, I learned to have faith in Him, and I put my trust in whatever He says. So, in this situation, I prayed.
"Lord, You're the master technician. You know exactly what the problem is with this washer, and You know how to fix it. If You show me what to do, I'll fix it, and get paid for it. I'll give you tithe on what I earn, and I'll give you the credit and the honor for it everywhere I go. Thank You, Lord."
And I sat on the floor in back of the machine, and waited for the Lord's advice.
After a few minutes, the owner of the house came into the laundry room and asked, "Mr. Linzey, I haven't heard any noise back here; are you okay?"
"Yes, ma'am. I'm just contemplating my next move."
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yes, there is. Could you make me a cup of coffee -- with cream and sugar?"
That would give me at least five more minutes. And not knowing what to do, I continued sitting and waiting for God to help me.
A minute or two later, the answer entered my mind. Not only that, the procedure of how to fix it entered my mind just as if I had listened to the Master Technician on the telephone.
The woman brought me the coffee while I was in full operation, and I had the machine repaired, reassembled, and running within 40 minutes.
In order to hear from God, we must know Him and trust Him. Simply believe in Jesus, and believe that He loves you and wants to help you. But honor God by how you live, and obey Him when He guides you.
Learn to know Jesus by reading the Gospel of John.
GENE LINZEY IS A TEACHER, AUTHOR AND MENTOR. SEND COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS TO [email protected]. VISIT HIS WEBSITE AT WWW.GENELINZEY.COM. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.
Editorial on 02/05/2020