The line between trusting and doing

Life is great until something goes wrong. And then you pray about it. But how much are you supposed to "do" in the meantime?

I recently faced a situation with my vehicle. Long story short, it's in my Grandmother's name but I have sole possession and make the payments. She passed away a few months ago so the contract is null. I have to figure out some kind of solution for this situation. (PS - "situation" = understatement!)

So I've been praying - not really for anything specific. I mean, I would REALLY like to keep the car. So of course it's mostly, "Lord. I want to keep the car. Please help me figure out how I can do that. If I can't keep it, then please tell me what I need to do. Just, make a way." So I'm asking Him to make a way for this to all just work out.

But I can't just sit on my hands and wait. Can I? I mean, if I trust that God's going to work this out for me in some way, shape, or form, then what more do I need to do? I prayed! I handed it over to God!



God tells us to expect Him to answer when we pray. We need to have heartfelt expectation. Psalm 17:6, "I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech." I know that God hears me, and that even as I begin my prayer, he formulates an answer for me. I know wholeheartedly that He already has this whole thing worked out.

But I still don't know what my responsibilities are. Do I need to try to find a solution? And just ask God for guidance as I navigate these options? Find an option and say, "Okay God, what do You think about this one?"

I'm conflicted and I don't really have an answer to my original inquiry. Know what's funny? All I can do is pray about it! Ha ha.

What I've been doing is looking for solutions and options and ruling them out according to my budget (ex: clearly I cannot afford to take on a $17k loan - I don't even owe that much on the car - so that is clearly not an option). I also know that God is not allowing that to be an option. He would not make available to me a loan that high if it will bring misfortune. Dave Ramsey said something like, "It's not God if it causes suffering. It's not a blessing if it causes trouble." So I know that because that loan would hurt me financially, God's not allowing that to even be an option for me.

Scratch that off the list. And move on to the next idea. Lord, tell me if this is viable. What do You think?

He'll make the solution known...in His own time. :)