Do you ever feel up a creek without a paddle?

I felt like I had been given a boat without a paddle and told to head upstream. There I was, through the airport security, headed out on work-related travel and my cell phone was dead. Not many years ago all I would have needed was a quarter and a public pay phone to solve the problem. But this time, even with technology at our fingertips, an expedient resolution was not evident.

As the impact of this predicament swept over me, I realized that I needed an answer now, not after I arrived at my destination or when I returned. Rather than scrambling for a temporary solution, I stopped for a moment and did what I usually do when life sends me grasping for answers. I prayed.

But, you may ask, “How could that possibly help your phone?”

Actually, it was me who needed help rather than the phone. I have found that prayer has a great deal to offer in a situation such as this. Getting in sync with God has a calming effect and typically opens my thought to new ideas. In fact, several ideas came in sequence on that particular day.

First, I instantly recalled a Bible story that had been helpful a few weeks earlier. I had gotten up in the middle of the night feeling a bit queasy and unable to sleep. Even with the physical symptoms, all I could think about was my overwhelming to-do list and how out of control and angry I felt with new requests pouring in every minute of every day.

As I prayed that night, I recalled part of the Bible story of Joseph. I remembered his stressful dilemma of being thrown into a pit and then sold to passing traders by his brothers. He certainly must have felt angry and helpless at the events that befell him. But, Joseph understood that God was always with him for good.

Joseph, like many characters in the Bible, understood his spiritual relationship to God as one of a child being lovingly guided and cared for by a parent. Similarly, Jesus acknowledged this idea when he said, “For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth.” I could see that if God was with Joseph amid such tumult, then he was also with me. This idea brought me peace, and the stress and queasiness melted away.

Standing there at the airport, I remembered this experience and knew that God was still with me. He had never left and I was not a victim of circumstance.

That was encouraging, so I continued to prayerfully listen with all my heart. A second idea came in the form of a paraphrased line from a favorite book: God has infinite resources with which to bless. From that I reasoned that if God had infinite resources, then help was available now. All I had to do was listen for direction and act on it.

Armed with these divine inspirations and feeling confident that an immediate resolution was possible, I sat quietly praying for a few more moments pondering what to do next. Maybe there is a Verizon kiosk in the terminal, I thought. That would have been a quick and easy answer, but the attendant at the information desk assured me that there weren’t any phone carriers on the airport grounds. As I walked away, still “listening”, a second question popped into my mind. I quickly turned back and asked, “Are there any technology stores in the terminal?” This time the attendant pointed to a store just down the walkway that sold some general electronic accessories. I headed in that direction and the rest is history.

The only person in the store was the sales clerk, a young woman who just happened to own a phone similar to mine. Applying what the two of us collectively knew about our phones my service was restored.

Although there may have been numerous possible resolutions for dealing with a dead phone or working around the inconvenience, the path I took with prayer was quick and effective. Just as quickly as the illness disappeared in the middle of the night, my phone went from being completely nonfunctional to being fully restored in less than 15 minutes.

These experiences have taught me that we can never really be up a creek without a paddle as long as we are willing to humbly reach out for divine inspiration. No matter what the circumstances, turning to God has practical results.

Debby Kowit blogs on the link between spirituality and wellness and the positive impact of healthy thinking on our lives. She is the media and legislative liaison for Christian Science in Pennsylvania. You can follow her on Twitter @PAComPub

Accompanying photo © GLOW IMAGES