The people of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.” “Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’” And the water has remained pure to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken. -2 Kings 2:19-21
People of faith are those who see solutions, not just problems. The fact is anyone can identify problems. The question is, who can see and seek solutions?
In my book Hope Rising: Finding Hope in a Turbulent World, there is a portion with the subtitle: Finding solutions in the midst of problems. Here is what I write:
“When we look at the world today, what do we see? Do we simply see problems or people in need? Do we see what is, but also what could be? In the book Seizing Your Divine Moment, Erwin McManus writes,
“I think it’s important to add that while God has been working in human history since he breathed life into Adam, there are many things yet to be done, and beyond this, many things yet to be begun. There may be another question that needs to be asked beyond, ‘What is God doing?’ and that is this: ‘What is God dreaming?’”
I don’t know about you, but this gets my heart pumping with a sense of holy excitement! I want to challenge you to dream the dreams of God! In the introduction of the book Entrepreneurial Faith, the authors make the point that “We never want to be limited by what already exists. We aspire instead to pursue what should be.” Mark Batterson writes in his book Chase the Lion, “You have to go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.” (excerpt from Hope Rising, pg.137-138).
People of faith see solutions to problems, and sometimes those solutions seem crazy to others around. I have no idea why Elisha handled this situation the way he did. It seems rather odd that the answer to that water situation was to pour salt from a new bowl into the water and proclaim that the Lord had healed it. It certainly did not make rational sense, but it was symbolic and contained a message in it for God’s people and us today.
Sometimes, this message is why God leads us the way he leads us. I believe there is always a message in the miracle. Solutions exist to teach us something or learn a new lesson not just solve the present problem. They stretch our faith and deepen our trust in God.
What problem are you looking at today? I encourage you to seek after God’s solution verse getting stuck in the issue. The good news is that God promises to give us his wisdom when we face situations that stump us. But we must have faith. We must focus not on the problem but on God, who is the giver of solutions to our situations. We must seek him to open our eyes and show us how to pro-actively respond to our problems.
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. -James 1:5-8
The world feels more turbulent and hopeless with each passing day. Fear, anxiety, and despair darken and grip our hearts. From disasters and diseases to scandals and divisiveness. Where can we find true and lasting hope?
To find out the solution to these problems, order your copy of Hope Rising here!
Ben Foley 