As we talk out our problems with others it can often help us clarify what the true issue is. 

Proverbs 3:1-35

Reference:  v.5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (NIV Bible)

Explore:   When trouble calls, where do you go?  Most people have a subconscious strategy of what they do when times get tough.  My first port of call would be my husband.  If something is affecting me then it's bound to affect him too.  Next would probably be my parents.  I know!  I'm 30 years old and still calling my Mummy and Daddy! But my parents know me very well, they are great listeners when I need to vent and they often bring the wisdom of time and maturity that I have not yet acquired.  Only then would I actually start to be proactive about my current situation and begin to work my way towards a solution.

Application:  It is great to have people to whom we can rely on.  As we talk out our problems with others it can often help us clarify what the true issue is.  However, where does God factor in to our problem solving?  So often we try to resolve things on our own and when it doesn't work we finally decide that maybe we should get God involved.  It's like we bring in the big guns right at the end.  He's our secret weapon that we only need to reveal once all the other strategies have failed.  And yet that is not the way of wisdom that we hear from Proverbs.  Instead of leaning on our own understanding we need to trust God and hand everything over to Him... right from the start!  Yes, it's good and important to talk to others about our issues but let's not leave God right until the last moment.  

Prayer:  Lord, often we can be so stubborn that we try to accomplish everything in our own strength.  May we grow more reliant on You.  Amen.

What are your problem solving strategies?  Where does God come into it?