I’m never at a loss when a necklace of mine becomes tangled. I know just what to do – give it to Victoria. My youngest child is patient and has a knack for untangling necklace chains. She doesn’t give up. She just sits there, spreads the necklace on the table, and begins to gently move the chain until she gets to the knotted origin. What does she require of me? I must give the jewelry to her, take my hands off it, and step back to let her work. The result of her work in solitude is later displayed when I wear the necklace.

It’s a process that holds true in other areas. When I am struggling with something that has my emotions in a jumbled mess and my stomach in knots, I’ve learned to turn to God in prayer. And while I always have ideas on how the problem should be resolved, it seems to work out best when I do what I do with those tangled necklaces. I release the situation to God, refrain from suggesting what He should do, and step back and give Him time to work it out.

When I surrender the problem, and truly trust God to figure it out, to do what only He can do, I turn my worry into worship as I wait for His response. Sometimes the answer to my prayer is when God shows me where the issue began and leads me out of the emotional maze and back to His peace.

Solomon wrote it this way in Proverbs 3:5,6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Ronny Michel can be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.

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