How To Solve Problems – Part 2
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalms 28:7
Second, you must identify the real problem. Sometimes a doctor can cure you, other times he or she prescribes medication that enables you to live more comfortably with your problem. But first they have to diagnose it. Philosopher Abraham Kaplan makes this distinction between problems and predicaments: ‘A problem is something you can do something about. If you can’t do something about it, then it’s not a problem, it’s a predicament. That means it’s something that must be coped with; something that must be endured. When you treat a predicament as a problem you can become frustrated, angry, and depressed. You waste energy and make bad decisions. Then when all your attempts fail, you give up and see yourself as a victim.’ Here’s an example: if you’re married, perhaps you are a ‘morning person’ and your spouse is a ‘night person’, or vice versa. That’s a predicament. You can’t change it. You can’t change the way people are wired internally. And if you try, you and your spouse will experience lots of conflict and there’ll be no resolution. However, your difficulty in finding ways to spend time together because of your different bents is a problem, and that can be solved. And here’s another thought: sometimes God will deliver you from a bad situation and other times He will use it to develop your character and make you more like Christ. Yes, He can turn your sigh into a song! The Psalmist said, ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.’
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me adjust to the “predicaments” in my life and learn from them. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
In your Bible verse, Ps. 28:7 – why are the pronouns which refer to the Lord lower case? This is present in so many Biblical quotes – why?
Thank you for your question… You will note that two different translations of the same verse were used in this particular devotion – the first from the NIV (New International Version) and the closing one from the NKJV (New King James Version). This latter translation (NKJV) uses what is called “reverential capitalization,” while the earlier-published translation (NIV) does not. The difference is a decision made by the publisher and sometimes the translator. BibleGateway.com gives the following explanation:
Why aren’t pronouns referring to God capitalized in some Bibles?
May 09, 2019 13:06
Some Bibles do not capitalize certain pronouns because their translators felt that doing so was not an accurate translation of the original language. The decision to capitalize or not capitalize pronouns is a question of translation and is not a statement of disrespect. For example, here’s a note from a translation consultant for the NIV that addresses this question:
Thank you, Tim! Good words. God uses circumstances — and broken people — to teach and temper patience and mercy. Bless you!