My dad gave me a 1 dollar bill,
’Cause I’m his smartest son!
And I swapped it for 2 shiny quarters,
’Cause 2 is more than 1!

And then I took the quarters,
And traded them to Lou,
For 3 dimes (I guess he didn’t know),
That 3 is more than 2.

Just then along came old blind Bates,
And just ’cause he can’t see,
He gave me 4 nickels for my 3 dimes,
And 4 is more than 3.

And I took the nickels to Mr. Coombs,
Down at the seed-feed store,
And the fool gave me 5 pennies for them,
And 5 is more than 4.

And then I went and showed my dad,
And he got all red in the cheeks,
And closed his eyes and shook his head,
Too proud of me to speak!

Sometimes we are not as smart as we think we are.  We use our “wisdom” to get ahead…only to find that we have not gotten ahead at all…but have in fact fallen behind.  Why is this?  Because there is a difference between earthly wisdom and Godly wisdom. 

Earthly wisdom is generally premised in envy and self-seeking.  Such wisdom tells us that telling a small “white” lie is okay in order to get ahead.  Such wisdom tells us that the rules of business and the rules of life are different…in business we will have to lie, cheat and deceive to succeed.  Such wisdom tells us that ultimately we need to look out for no one other than ourselves. 

But, Godly wisdom is completely different.  Godly wisdom is pure and gentle.  It is willing to bow down before others.  It is humble and merciful, full of goodness.  Such wisdom tells us that all lies are from the devil and the truth shall set us free.  Such wisdom tells us that business is a part of life and we must never compromise our ideals.  Such wisdom tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

This week I really wanted to go to the fair.  But, no one would come with me.  Earthly wisdom told me to throw a tantrum and get my way .  But, Godly wisdom told me to be patient and pray.  I chose Godly wisdom and ended up going to the fair not only once, but twice!

This reminds me of an incident with a friend of mine.  She applied for a job.  And her husband convinced her to lie on her CV.  She said she had certain certifications that she did not have.  Well, the employer asked her to produce the certificates.  Now, she was in a bind.  She thought to lie again and say that the certificates had been lost.  Worldly wisdom said this would be best.  The employer would probably not push too hard and give her the job.  But, Godly wisdom said to tell the employer the truth, even if this meant risking not getting the job.  We prayed.  She decided to tell the truth.  And guess what?  The employer was so impressed by her honesty that he hired her immediately and said, “You are just the type of person I was looking for!”

I want to challenge you.  This week, try to use Godly wisdom instead of earthly wisdom when making your decisions…and see the difference.

And if you are thinking, “But I do not have Godly wisdom,” ask God.  The Bible tells us that God gives wisdom freely to those who ask!  See James 1:5.

Jon shared that some time back, he developed excruciating pain in his back that would run down his leg.  When the doctors ran tests, they discovered that Jon had two herniated discs that had ruptured.  These discs were pushing on some nerves, causing extreme pain.  Jon was unable to sit.  He would go to work and stand for 8 hours as he worked.  When he came home, he would just lie flat on his back, unable to do anything.  In the middle of the night he would wake up in unbearable pain.

The doctors told Jon, the only cure was surgery.  They said that without surgery, Jon was likely to become paralyzed.  But even with surgery, the prognosis was not good.  Surgery was very risky with a low success rate.  They said even with surgery, there were chances Jon would become paralyzed.

Jon decided against surgery.

Despite the pain, Jon and his wife continued to attend church and continued to pray for a miracle. 

Just as Jon was beginning to feel discouraged and lose hope, the pastor in his church started a series of messages about healing.  For an entire year, every Sunday, the pastor would preach on healing.  And Jon told me that is what made the difference.  During the week, Jon would be in excruciating pain.  And just as he would begin to lose hope, Sunday would roll around and Jon would go to church.  In church, the pastor would preach a fire-filled message on healing.  Jon said, immediately his faith would rise and he would have the hope and strength to face another week.

And as Jon’s faith rose, one day in January, one of the associate pastors in his church had a word of knowledge.  He said, “Someone has a slipped disc problem in the left side.  God is healing it right now!”  And from that moment onwards, Jon’s pain completely disappeared!  Jesus healed him!

In Romans 10:17, the Bible tells us, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  As Jon heard the word of God every Sunday in church, his faith increased.  And eventually he received his miracle.

Many people wonder why they need to attend church.  They say, “I believe in God.  I pray.  That is enough.”  But attending church is important, because there we have the opportunity to hear the word of God.  And that is how faith grows.  And faith is a key ingredient to seeing miracles in our lives.  We should never be satisfied with how much faith we have…we should always want more.  There is no such thing as “too much faith.” 

In addition to attending church to hear the word of God, we also should read His word.  Now, you may say, the scripture says “hearing” results in faith, not “reading.”  But, my little three year old nephew put it best when he said, “When we read the Bible, we are speaking it to our heart!”  So, our heart is hearing the word…and faith comes!

So today, if your faith is weak…if it is wavering…if it is lost…or even if it is strong…I encourage you to “hear” the Word of God.  As you do, faith will come…and when faith comes…so will your miracle!

He had played cards with his wife until late night on the 10th and then gone to sleep peacefully.  But shortly thereafter he suffered from a fatal heart-attack.

The days to follow were like a whirlwind.  Everyone was in shock as they prepared for the funeral.  I went over to my cousin’s house several times to offer condolences.  It felt weird.  I hate death.  It doesn’t quite seem real.  And I don’t quite know what to say to grieving family members, because nothing I can say can fix things.  Nothing I can say can bring him back.

But, what I found even more uncomfortable was the conversations I heard others having.  Here my cousin lay in an open casket, and I was over-hearing conversations on business, television programs, and up-coming festivities.  As i was hearing all of this and observing the people who were gathered, I was reminded of a poem I once read written by Linda Ellis:

I read of a reverend who stood to speak at the funeral of his friend.  He referred to the dates on her tombstone…from beginning to end.

He said that the first was the date of her birth, and spoke of the last date with tears in his eyes, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all teh time that she spent alive on earth, and now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own: the cars, the house, the cash.  What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard, are there things you’d like to change?  For you never know how much time you have left, you could be at “dash mid-range.”

If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real, and always try to understand the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger, and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect, and more often wear a smile, remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So when you eulogy is being read with your life’s action to rehash, would you be please with what they say about how you spent your dash?

This is so true.  It is the dash that counts.  It is the days in between the first and the last that define a person’s life.  And I have been thinking lately that I want those days to count.  I want my dash to be something special.  I want it to be one that leaves a mark in this world.

And at the end of the dash, I want to be able to say:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7. 

And I want the Lord to say of me:

Well done, good and faithful servant.

See Matthew 25:21.

I encourage you, this week to take time and think about your dash.  What does it represent so far?  And what would you like it to mean?

I woke up at 5AM this morning only to find that my laptop was dead.  I had left it on and charging last night, as I do every night.  But this morning, my laptop was completely dead.  No lights were shining.  I looked at where the powercord connects to the laptop and the little blue light that indicates that it is plugged in was not lit.  I unplugged and plugged it in again, but still no light.  I checked the powercord, but everything seemed to be normal.  I tried plugging it into a different outlet…still no light.  I tried turning on my laptop…nothing.  I spent 15 minutes trying whatever I could to get the laptop to begin charging, but all to no avail.

Unsure whether there was something wrong with my laptop, or whether it was the powercord, I went and got my dad’s computer.  I tried plugging the powercord into his laptop, but still no light.  Phew!  At least now I knew it was a powercord problem and my laptop was likely alright.

I spent several more minutes trying to get the powercord to work.  No luck.  I even tried praying (because I remembered a testimony of a dear brother whose laptop Jesus healed once)…but still nothing.

It was weird, in the midst of adversity (yes, my laptop not working is adversity ), I found myself smiling.  Normally I would freak out if my laptop was not working.  Especially because today is Sunday and I need my laptop to project the worship songs for church.  But today, for some reason, I found myself smiling.  I was reminded of the scripture of the week that we have been memorzing in church:

In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

I Thessalonians 5:18.  Last week in church, as I explained this scripture, I urged everyone to thank God in all things good or bad…because that is what God wants us to do.  And I assured everyone that as we did this, God would turn situations around.

Now, I was not feeling very thankful that my computer was not working and all the preparation I had done for our two church services was seemingly for naught…but I decided, “I should practice what I preach.”  So, with a smile, I said, “Thank you Jesus, my powercord is not working!”

In my mind I began to make plans of how to lead worship without the videos we normally use.  But then, for some reason I just thought to try the powercord again.

I plugged it into the outlet and tried it in my dad’s computer.  Voila!  The blue charging indicator light lit up!  I quickly look the cord out of my dad’s laptop and plugged it into mine.  It lit up!  Praise God!  My smile grew wider as I continued to thank God, this time not for a powercord that isn’t working, but for a powercord that is!

God’s word is indeed true and alive!  I encourage you to read it, take ahold of it, claim it and apply it to your life today!

For more on having an Attitude of Gratitude, go to: www.JesusBranded.org/an-attitude-of-gratitude/

Mark has been suffering from a kidney disease for approximately 30 years.  And as the disease has progressed, he has had to have a kidney transplant.  But even so, his condition continued to deteriorate.  It had now gotten to the point that the doctors were giving him very little hope.  There was one experimental treatment they were recommending, but that was extremely expensive ($6000/month), and there were no guaranteed results.

Mark could not afford the experimental treatment and he did not want to leave his wife destitue, so he declined from undergoing it.  But, he prayed, “Lord, if it be your will, make a way.”  Moreover, Mark prayed for a miracle. 

Some time passed.  An article was written about Mark and his wife by the local newspaper.

Soon after the article was written, Mark got a call from the Kidney Center at the hospital.  Mark assumed they were calling him in to pressure him again into going for the experimental treatment.  He prepared a short speech in response to the anticipated pressure.

When Mark and his wife arrived at the Kidney Center, they were taken to a room.  There the doctor said, “Mark, we have a box of medication here for you.  It is three months worth of treatment, and is fully paid for.  Now will you begin the experimental treatment?”

Mark didn’t have words.  He just thanked the Lord.  The treatment started.  And, after three months, when the doctors tested him, for the first time in 30 years, he was virus free!  Praise God!  Such positive results were unexpected.  It was a miracle.

The doctors informed Mark that the donors had agreed to pay for 3 more months of treatment.  That is approximately $36,000 worth of free medicine!

Mark needs to be virus free for 1 year before the doctors can give him a clean bill of health.  Please pray that God will provide for the remainder of the medication he needs.

Mark also shared that a few years ago when he was scheduled for a kidney transplant, and waiting for a donor match, he had been praying that God would just give him a miracle kidney.  He wanted to the kidney to just appear from thin air.  But, that did not happen.  At the time he was frustrated and wondered why the Lord had not given him his miracle kideny.  But then a friend helped Mark change his perspective. 

The friend pointed out to Mark that although the kidney had not appeared from thin air, his new kidney was still a miracle kidney.  Sometimes God works in ways we do not understand.  We want Him to do it one way…but He does it another.  Mark needed a new kidney and God provided.  A donor was found.  The surgery was successful.  Mark had a new kidney.  God did not do it Mark’s way.  He did it His way.  But it was still a miracle.

And later Mark realized that as he went through the surgery, he met many doctors and other medical personnel with whom he was able to share God’s love.  If he had not had the surgery, he would not have met these people.

Our ways are not God’s ways.  But, His ways are best.  The Bible tells us:

⁸ “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.  ⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9.

Mark was praying for a miracle in his life.  He wanted to be healed.  And God did it, but not in the way Mark expected.  However, God did it nonetheless.

In the same way, perhaps you are asking God for a miracle.  I want to encourage you, do not limit God.  Let Him do it His way.  Think beyond the box.

He will answer your prayer…just sometimes not in the way you expect…but He will answer!

How many times do we put off praying?  We are often too busy to pray.  And even when we make the time to pray, as soon as we begin, the phone rings…or we remember something “important” that needs to be done.

A lot of people tell me that they do not see God moving in their lives.  They tell me that they don’t experience miracles.   They claim that God doesn’t talk to them.  When in reality, it is the other way around: They do not talk to God.  The Bible says, “Ask, and it will be given to you.”  Luke 11:9.  So, if you want it, you need to ask for it…you need to pray for it.

Most of the time we do not take the time to pray…but then we wonder why things do not happen.  I have noticed that if we take a few minutes to pray, things become much simpler…and things begin to happen.

A recent incident re-confirmed this notion to me.  Mom and I were invited to share at a meeting in a neighboring city.  However, that day we did not have a cell phone with us.  We arrived at the address we were given, but no one was there.  We waited and waited…but no one came.  Finally, we went to a gas station and made a few phone calls, only to be connected to voicemail.  Mom left a message saying we would be waiting at the address we were given.

Again, we returned to that address and waited.  No one came.  We drove around a bit and found a building that looked like it might be the venue, but people there told us they had no idea of such a meeting.  Finally we went back to the original address again. 

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, we decided that there was no point in waiting any longer.  Just as we were leaving an SUV with two girls pulled up next to us and asked, “Are you Sungeeta?”

Later we found out that the two girls had been looking for us for quite some time.  They did not know what address we had been given (the guy who had given us the address was sick at home).  The girls had been driving around for sometime, but, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.  They had no hope of finding us.  But then, they decided to stop and take a minute to pray.  As soon as they were done praying, they drove a little ways and immediately found us!

The power of prayer!

I encourage you, today, if you want to see God move…if you want to see things happen…take time to pray, even when you think you do not have time.  Because remember, prayer takes less time than it saves!

A few weeks ago on Thursday as we were coming home from prayer, it began to rain.  It was not just raining, it was pouring.  As the rain pelted down on our vehicle, I anticipated having to get out of the car in the rain and getting drenched…not a pleasant thought.  Mom and I began to pray.  But, nothing happened.  The rain only seemed to get worse.  Before it was just raining cats and dogs…now I think might have seen an elephant or two

Even as we arrived home, the rain did not stop.  The driver ran into the house to grab an umbrella.  Mom used the umbrella to avoid the rain and handed it back to the driver.  As he came to get me, the most amazing thing happened.  The rain stopped!  There was a break in the rain long enough for me to get out of the car and in our home without getting wet!  Perfect timing!  That’s God…

Often, we get discouraged when despite repeated prayer…the answer to our request seems to allude us.  But, as I have said before, we have to remember that God’s timing is the best timing.  Only He knows all that has happened in the past and all that is going to happen in the future.  Thus, only He truly knows when is the perfect timing for something to happen.

The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3 -

¹ To everything there is a season,  A time for every purpose under heaven:
² A time to be born, And a time to die;
A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
³ A time to kill, And a time to heal;
A time to break down, And a time to build up;
⁴ A time to weep, And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
⁵ A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
⁶ A time to gain, And a time to lose;
A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
⁷ A time to tear, And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
⁸ A time to love, And a time to hate;
A time of war, And a time of peace.

If you have been waiting a while for your miracle.  Don’t give up.  Trust in Jesus.  Trust in His timing.  His answer may not come as early as you would like…but remember, He is never too late.  Put all things in His hands and allow Him to work according to His perfect season and timing.  He will make all things beautiful in His time.  See Ecclesiastes 3:11.

Last week, in church, the preacher noted that often times, when it comes to receiving from God, we are like that man who drinks only a shot glass of water.  We are satisfied with just a little bit of God.  We have an encounter with Him, or we feel His presence, and we become content.  Instead of seeking more, we feel that our experience is more than enough.  But, the preacher noted, often, God has so much more He wants to give us, in terms of a relationship with Him.  God is bigger than the Pacific Ocean, so we need to not just be contented with a shot glass.  We need to drink more and more and more of God until we thirst no more

We often run and seek after the “things” God can give us.  We pray for countless hours for God to give us this or that.  We pray for jobs, finances, healing, relationships, etc.  We ask God for the things we want and desire.  And although I am the first to encourage people to ask the Lord for everything big or small, more than asking God for these things, we should ask God for more of Him.  And Jesus reassures us in the Bible that if we seek Him, He will give us all of those other “things” anyways.  Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”  (Of course, this does not mean that you should seek God as a way of manipulating Him into giving you everything else you want It means that if you truly seek Him, you won’t need to worry about everything else, He will take care of you and your needs and desires.)

And as we are truly seeking Him, we need to continue to seek until we find Him.  Even then, we should not be satisfied with just a glimpse of His majesty.  We need to seek Him until we are face to face with Him.  But we shouldn’t stop there.  We need to get to know Him from the inside out.  We need discover His thoughts…His mind…His heart.

The funny thing about spiritual hunger is that unlike physical hunger, that is satisfied the more you eat, physical hunger actually grows with consumption.  The more you pray, read the Bible, fellowship with His people…the hungrier you grow for more of Him.  Thus, if you are satisfied with just a small bit of Him, a fleeting encounter, a light touch from above, you are likely suffering from a spiritual eating disorder   You may need to just force yourself to eat and plump up a bit!

Hmm…all of these random and somewhat inter-related thoughts are just to encourage you to spend this week seeking more of Him.  If you seek Him, you will find Him.  Deuteronomy 4:29.  And then, remember, do not stop with just a shot glass…drink the ocean.

Perhaps in your life, you are facing an “impossible” situation.  Look to Jesus, and the impossible will say to you, “I M Possible!”

Below is my brother’s account of his healing, written over ten years ago: 

During a time when most kids were getting ready for a new school year, I was confined to a hospital bed. It was the August between my freshman and sophomore year in high school. Until only a few weeks ago, my life had been “normal.” But, in late July I began noticing strange symptoms in my body. Over the past few months, I had gained a significant amount of weight, which I was unable to shed despite hours of exercise and a nearly zero fat diet. As a child, my weight had always fluctuated, so at first, my family and I thought nothing of this. It was not until I awoke one morning with a swollen from head to toe, that we knew something was wrong.

My pediatrician took some urine samples and found that my kidneys were malfunctioning and leaking abnormally high levels of blood and protein. I was immediately sent to the Nephrology Center at Children’s Hospital where they took x-rays and did an ultrasound of my kidney. The doctors found that my kidneys were lined with tumors. Baffled by my symtoms, the doctors decided to perform a biopsy.

Until this point in my life, I was an average Christian. Religion was not a priority in my life. I attended church every Sunday morning, but I rarely ever prayed on my own or read the Bible. But, as my life seemed to be spiraling out of control, I began to seek the Lord. I began to pray. Over the years I had seen God perform miracles and work in mighty ways. So, I knew that God was able. At first, I didn’t really think that my disease was very serious, but I prayed because I knew it would make things better.

Any time I would go in for a test, I would continue to pray until the results came back. Any time I would get scared, I would pray. One day I asked my eldest sister, to pray for me. After we prayed she told me that she felt as if God was saying that he would not let me die. He would not let me die? It was not until then that I realized just how serious my disease might be and how much I needed God’s protection (later, those same words would help comfort me when it seemed as if death was inevitable).

As I went in for my biopsy, the last thing I did before losing consciousness was pray. The next thing I remember is waking up in my hospital room, drugged up, and feeling as if I had been run over by a car. The next day I was released from the hospital. I was relieved that the biopsy was over, but little did I know that my troubles had just begun. Two nights later I awoke with excruciating pain in my left kidney. It would not go away and it got to the point where I could no longer bear it. My mother and my middle sister drove me to the emergency room where they found that my left kidney, the one that had been biopsied, was bleeding. It seemed as if everything was getting progressively worse rather than better. However, through prayer I was able to keep my sanity, and I kept a constant optimism that everything would be okay. God was with me, I knew it.

I was in the hospital for one week, and during this week my biopsy results came back. It turned out that I had Focal Segmental Glumerial Nephritis, a rare Kidney disease that doctors don’t know the cause of or how to treat. Up until the results had come back everybody was hoping that it would simply be Minimal Change Disorder, a more common and easily treatable disease. The doctors explained the disease to my parents, giving them details I was not told until later for my own well being. The doctors told my mother that they would try some medicines, but realistically I had a MAXIMUM of ten years to live (most likely I would live much less) and I would probably be on Kidney dialysis within two years. They also said that a Kidney transplant was pointless because the disease would just affect the new kidney as well.

After spending a week in the hospital, confined to the hospital bed, I was finally sent home with instructions to remain in bed 24 hours a day. I missed the first week of the school year. All of this bed rest had left my muscles atrophied and I barely had enough energy to walk twenty feet without fainting. The doctor had me start on a steroid called prednisone. Prednisone is the mildest of the medicines they give for treating FSGS and she highly doubted that it would work, but it was routine to start with prednisone.

I began school a week and a half late, and completely exhausted. God helped me though, and I was able to return as if nothing had happened. Six weeks after beginning to take Prednisone, I went in for another appointment. To the doctor’s surprise, the prednisone had worked, but not to the extent that was necessary. The doctor wanted to put me on a stronger medicine with side effects such as cancer and infertility. I was ready to do whatever the doctor recommended, but my mom was with me and sitting in the hospital room she prayed and asked God what we should do. God told her that we should stay with the prednisone. Despite the doctors urgings otherwise, we decided that we would try prednisone for another six weeks.

Prednisone also is not without side effects. One major side effect it makes the user very, very, fat. The doctor told me that my appetite would increase and I would not be able to control my intake. I did not want to be fat, I enjoyed being skinny, so I prayed every day that I would not gain any wait. Amazingly, I only lost weight while I was on the medicine. The nurses would even joke about how they should try the “Prednisone Diet.” I was 162 pounds when I first went in to the doctor, and granted that a lot of that was water weight, I dropped down to a lean 119 pounds at one point. There were other side effects that I endured also. I had a problem with cramping. I would get leg cramps simply bending to sit in a car. For weeks I endured the cramping as if there was nothing I could do about it. Finally I had my pastor pray for me and it went away immediately. In fact, any time I was faced with a problem, I would simply get prayer from my pastor and it would disappear. Some problems I should have had god protected me from altogether.

When I went back to the doctor after the second six weeks were up, she was pleased to tell me that my protein levels had once again gone down. She was encouraged by this and wanted me to stay on prednisone as long as it was working for me. Slowly my results became better and better, my doctors appointments became further and further apart, and my prednisone dosage became lower and lower. Finally, over a year later, my levels were that of a perfectly healthy individual. Even the doctor said it was a miracle. The honest truth is, I always knew they would go down to normal and I would be okay…God said I wouldn’t die. My levels have stayed normal and have gone down even further, which is perfectly healthy. Now days when I go in for doctors appointments they feel like a waste of time because everything is going perfectly in my life. Soon I will be completely off of prednisone.

Some people who have gone through a similar ordeal might wonder, “Why did I have to go through this Lord?” That is a question I already know the answer to. Instead, I must say, “Thank you for helping me GROW through this Lord.” The transformation that I have gone through in these past two years has been amazing. Going through this has helped build my faith tremendously and I love the Lord as I never have before. Even the assistant pastor at our church commented on how I no longer just bug my sisters during church, instead I pay attention and participate. God has become real to me. It’s amazing how some of us don’t realize what an awesome God we have until we need him for something miraculous. If you think about it, everything is a miracle from God. Every single person on this planet is a miracle from God. This planet itself is a miracle from God. Until I became sick, I took all these miracles for granted. Now I thank God for everything. I thank God for my family, for my friends, for my church, for the sacrifice He made, for calling me to Him, for my health, and for always being there for me.

Note: It has been over 10 years since my brother wrote this account of his healing.  My brother is completely off medication and is still perfectly healthy.  Even the doctors admit it is a miracle.  Since then, we have found out that doctors have stopped using Prednisone as a medicine to treat this illness because they have deemed it medically ineffective.  Thus, God confirmed to us that it was not the medicine that healed my brother…it was Jesus!

Recently, in my frustration, I commented to my sister, “Why am I still in pain?  Why aren’t the doctors doing anything?”  

 To which,  my sister, who is a doctor, responded, “They are doing what they can.  All they can do is run the tests and give you medicine.  They are not God.  They can’t fix you!”

That’s exactly it.  They are not God.  They can’t fix me.

So many times, we look to people to “fix” our problems.  When we are sick, we look to doctors.  When we are in a mess, we look to lawyers.  When we don’t understand, we look to teachers.  When we are afraid, we look to Dad.  When we are sad, we look to Mom.  When we are lonely, we look to friends.  When we need love, we look to our significant other.  When we need a hug, we look to our pets  

We look to these people to fix our problems.  We often expect them to know the answers, to have the solutions, to work magic.  And although people in our lives can and do help us at times, they generally can’t fix things.  They may be able to help ease the pain, temporarily fill the void, or bring a smile to our face…but they can’t fix the problem. 

Over the years, I have discovered that the only one who can actually fix what is wrong is Jesus.  When I turn to Him, He steps in and changes hearts, minds, situations and circumstances.  He doesn’t just apply a bandage, but he actually heals the wound. 

Why?  Because He created us.  This reminds me of a story I once heard:

In the early days of the automobile, a man’s Model-T Ford stalled in the middle of the road.  He opened the hood and tinkered with the engine, but could not get it to work.  As time passed on, various people came by and tried to help him, but no one could get the Ford to start running again.  Even a mechanic stopped and tried his hand at the engine, but all to no avail. 

As evening was approaching, an elderly, very dignified and wealthy looking man stopped and asked the man with the Model-T Ford what the problem was.  Upon hearing that the engine would not start, the rich man asked if he could take a look.  The car owner didn’t really think the elderly man would be able to do much, but obliged him, seeing there was no better alternative.

The older man rolled up his sleeves and opened the hood of the car.  In a matter of minutes, the engine of the Model-T Ford was purring like a kitten.

“How did you do that?” the car owner asked amazed.

“Oh, let me introduce myself,” the elderly man replied.  “I am Henry Ford.  I designed and built these cars.  So, I know what to do when something goes wrong.”

In the same way, God not only designed and built us, but He created the entire universe around us.  Thus, He knows what to do when something goes wrong.  As the one of who created us, God knows our blueprint.  He knows our inner thoughts and workings.  He knows and controls the environment around us.  Thus, He knows how to fix our problems.

So, next time you find that those around you, no matter how well-intentioned and loving they may be, cannot help you…they cannot fix your problem…do not lose hope.  Turn to the one who can.  Turn to God.  Because remember, “[t]he things which are impossible with man, are possible with God.”  Luke 18:27.

And as a bonus, He’ll fix it free of cost, because Jesus already paid the price.  With a hammer, three nails and a little wood, He can fix all things!