It is a real thing. In an article at ezcomputersolutions.com describing funny IT customer service calls:

“One of our clients decided to take on the task of hooking up their own computer system. After connecting all the cables and pressing the power button, the computer failed to respond. The client called us to troubleshoot the system.

While they had meticulously hooked up every cable to the system and even plugged everything into the battery backup, they overlooked one minor detail. The plug for the battery backup system wasn’t plugged into the wall. It was actually plugged into itself, so no power was being fed to any of the components. With all of those plugs to manage, it’s easy to see how this happened.”

All the troubleshooting questions revealed nothing because there was no power coming into the situation. How many times do you and I try to fix a situation in our lives by trying this and trying that until finally we ask ourselves, “Am I plugged into God’s power? Did I pray and ask Him what to do?” I have experienced this many times and, without fail, when I stop and ask God for help, the situation becomes clearer and I find the strength that I need to navigate it. Is going to God your first response to a challenge? I am still working on it being mine. 

Go to God first.  I know that you are facing a daunting challenge. You are constantly asking yourself, “How do I do this? How do I get through this?” You may even throw those questions at God, but let me say that throwing a question at God, though a good way to begin to process your feelings, is not really praying about it. What if you started by honestly asking God what to do and how to do it? What if you asked for His perspective on the challenge you are facing? Internet research will reveal a variety of perspectives that can make trying to deal with your situation even more confusing. Add to that your own emotions and the patterns for facing, or not facing, challenges that you have learned from your family. Which voice is loudest as you look at your current challenge? Maybe now is the time to stop and ask God for His view of the whole thing.  The essence of true wisdom is to see things from God’s perspective. Couldn’t you use some of that right now?

Give up trying to be strong.  Let’s just face the fact that you and I are not strong enough to walk through the labyrinth that we are in the middle of. We don’t have what it takes to get to the other side with grace. Part of American culture is pride in self, the self-made man, the rugged individualist, the person who pulled themself up by their own bootstraps. A person who has achieved success without any help is considered truly successful. Ingrained within the American consciousness are statements like:

“I don’t need anyone else.” 

“I have to be strong and not let anyone else know that I have a need.” 

“I’ll do it myself.” 

Part of it is my personality, and part of it was learned, but I have always felt like I had to figure things out for myself. Asking for help was always the last resort, when I just couldn’t figure it out on my own. That pattern is still in me. It isn’t always a bad thing.  None of us wants to be a needy person. But part of that pattern for me has been,  “I can’t figure it out, I guess I should pray.” At times, praying has been the last resort rather than the first line of defense. 

Now, be honest with yourself. Is prayer REALLY the first thing you do? You and I both know what the right answer SHOULD be, but is it actually what we do? “God helps those who help themselves”  is an often-quoted statement that is nowhere in the Bible. I know that statement infiltrated my understanding of how to approach challenges, and maybe it is a part of yours as well. What if you and I asked God for help first, before trying to help ourselves? How would we feel? Wouldn’t we enter into the conflict with more confidence because we know we aren’t alone? We will have tapped into the strength that created the heavens and the earth. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is living in me and you. (Romans 6:10) What if we turned to that strength first instead of last? How could we help but succeed, whatever that might look like?

Go to God continually.  Brother Lawrence had a simple approach to his relationship with God. No matter where he was or what he was doing, he developed the practice of offering it to God as an act of love. Whether he was working in the kitchen at the monastery or in his little cell having a time of prayer, his attitude remained the same. He strove to acknowledge God’s presence with him in any and every situation. His letters to a friend were published after his death as a little book entitled, The Practice of the Presence of God.  I read it early in my Christian life and it has profoundly impacted my approach to prayer. I have yet to achieve the constant awareness of God’s presence, but it is the ideal that I aim for. What would it look like for you to go to God continually throughout your day? How would your perspective on your challenge change if you internally offered that difficult conversation to Him and trusted Him to give you words? How would your day change if you approached each little task at work or home as an offering of love to God? What if you became more aware of His presence as you seek to love that difficult family member? Wouldn’t you find more strength to show them Jesus in the way you treat them?

What if you and I approached our daily challenges by looking to God first, asking for His strength and practicing an awareness of His constant presence? Wouldn’t our challenges seem smaller, our wisdom seem greater and our joy increase? Dear One, I know that you are facing a significant challenge. There is no denying that. I know that you want with all your heart to honor God. There is no question about that, either. Know that He hasn’t left you to figure it out on your own. If you begin to look to Him first, and continue to seek Him in the midst of your challenge, you will find His constant strength filling you and guiding you. Most of all, you will become increasingly aware that you are not alone, He is constantly and consistently present with you. What a beautiful awareness that will be!

Do you need to do a little troubleshooting? Maybe, like the customer in the article,  you have done a lot of self-set-up, trying to handle your own problem. The question is “Have you plugged in to God’s power?” That’s what you and I need most!!

Key thought: When we continually seek the Lord, we find His strength. 

A Scripture to consider: “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭105:4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

A YES Challenge: Purchase a copy of Brother Lawrence’s book, The Practice of the Presence of God (Click here.) and allow it to challenge the way you approach your relationship with Him. You can also get a free digital copy here. 

Prayer: Lord, I can’t make it through without You. I know that, but sometimes I don’t act that way. I don’t remember to seek You first. I forget that You want to give me Your strength so that I can do Your will. I forget that You are always with me. Help me to seek You and Your strength. Help me to seek Your presence every moment of every day. Amen.