I carried my family to Disney World in Orlando, Florida some years ago. We were at Epcot. We had just finished a quick evening meal and were getting ready to watch the fireworks display they were to have that evening as soon as it got dark. We found a certain spot where I felt we could all get an excellent view of the fireworks show. I looked around to count my children, and Mary was missing. I went into panic mode. There were literally thousands of people getting ready for the show.
I told my wife that Mary was missing. She retraced her steps and remembered Mary was with her and her sisters at the rest area. But after that, no one remembered seeing Mary. My heart began to quicken into an unbelievable pace. I felt a sickness in the base of my stomach. All I could think of was that some predator had taken Mary.
I started running around the lake at Epcot. I stopped in every little shop. I was frantically asking every person working in the shops had they seen a seven year old little girl. The more time that elapsed without finding Mary, the more desperate I became. It took me about an hour to go around the lake looking for my little girl Mary. I was nearly beside myself with fear that I would never see Mary again. I did not know what to do. As I was looking for Mary, my wife had contacted the authorities and they were also looking for Mary. With every tick of the clock, my whole being went more into shock. I was saying, “What are we to do?”
The answer always lies with God. But many times prayer is the last thing we do. We exhaust all of our intellect, all of our strength; and we run everywhere but to God. The Bible records in Psalms 121:4, “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” Verse 5 says, “The LORD is thy keeper…” Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place…” God knew where Mary was – He had His eye upon her.
But that night, this man of God learned a valuable lesson. He showed me “vain is the help of man.” I loved little Mary with a daddy’s love, but I could not find her. I could not help her. Finally, in my desperation, I cried out unto God. God reminded me of our text, James 1:5-8:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (6) But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. (7) For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. (8) A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
I confessed my trying to save Mary in my fleshly strength. I rested in God’s promise of verse 5, “…and it shall be given him.”
The family waited and waited what seemed like an eternity, but which really was about fifteen minutes more. My wife decided to try the authorities one more time – and there was Mary! Mary had been given wisdom by God to go to the Epcot police, to give them my name, her name, and where we were lodging for the week. She remembered several other facts that would have led the authorities to us that night – such as, what state we were from and her home street address. It was amazing what Mary knew that night. God answered our prayer by giving Mary wisdom.
Mary was found through the prayers of a daddy, mother, and family claiming God’s promise of James 1:5.
Reader, do you need help? Do you not know what to do in your situation? Have your tried God? If you are a child of God and you lack wisdom, ask God, ask Him in faith. He will show you what to do and how to do it and when to do it and where to do it. Yes, you can know what to do, when you don’t know what to do.
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