Why I Couldn't Fix My Problems 

Or anyone else's | by Emmalea Butler

"Wait on the Lord and be of good courage, and HE will strengthen your heart; WAIT, I say, on the LORD" Psalm 27:14.

I am amazed and deeply touched at personal things God shares with me from time to time and the special way HE gets my attention. One of those times was when my heart felt heavy from listening to others share their burdens. I earnestly listened and tried my best to help – because it is the right thing to do, right? (I tend to jump in, because I'm a "fixer.")

Unfortunately, because I am so impatient, I want to make things happen, my way, rather than fully relying on GOD to fix the situation. But, GOD has repeatedly shown me it is not my job to fix other people or their problems. In fact, one time HE was so frustrated with me that HE sent me an acrostic to prove HIS point when I least expected it!

(HE has done this several times! Some have said I have a gift for making acrostics – but honestly, I don’t try to make them – they just happen. I will look at a word and almost immediately see a message in that specific word. This is how I know it is GOD trying to teach ME something!)

I asked GOD, "How can I fix their situation?" HE finally got through to me by saying, "Tell them to WAIT." My first response was, “Huh? How can I help them if I tell them to just wait?”

Then GOD asked me, What Awaits In Trials? W.A.I.T. 

Hmmmm? As I stopped and thought of my trials, I could clearly see what GOD was trying to teach me in this acrostic!

What awaits in trials? My hindsight clearly showed that GOD taught me, groomed me, comforted me, and proved HIMSELF in every trial! HE asked only that I would obey and WAIT on HIM! I can honestly affirm that in every trial, I had had no idea how to “fix” my problem. And that is a perfect place to see JESUS at work! GOD just asks me to “wait,” as HE steps in and takes care of me! HIS love is always so personal! 

In addition, this acrostic is backed up by Scripture (one of my favs!) "Wait on the Lord and be of good courage, and HE will strengthen your heart; WAIT, I say, on the LORD" Psalm 27:14.

At first, the thought of waiting didn’t make sense. It's difficult to understand that it's a good thing to just wait. BUT WAIT! (no pun intended) I saw something else in that Scripture! “What does it take to be a good waiter?" Hmmmm? “What do I call a person who serves me in restaurants – giving very good service?” YES, I call that person a WAITER! That person SERVES and earns the befitting title, WAITER. They are titled, classified, and paid, for serving others – “waiting” on others!

Psalm 27:14 tells us to WAIT on the LORD! But we do not wait passively, we can be "active waiters." We should look for ways to SERVE the LORD, while HE works to solve our problems in life. God wants us to be more like HIM. He grooms us to be patient, while we wait and see our “payment” as HE comforts us, so we can also comfort others. In this HE solidifies our relationship with HIM, even more so as we look back and see HIS faithfulness through our trials. We can fully trust in HIM to “fix” our burdens!

After learning to properly WAIT, I'm now more readily willing to pray and ask JESUS to take over and fix the situation at hand. Then, I look for a way to step up my serving others while HE “fixes,” teaches, loves, comforts and solves the problem. Meanwhile, I too can expect to grow stronger in my faith and my relationship with GOD!

Copyright 2016 Emmalea Butler
1servinghim2@embarqmail.com

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