Solution-Solver...

Solution-Solver...4-29-25

Our Women's Bible Study is currently in the Book of Haggai. As I've mentioned before, we are studying the Israelites' return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple. One of the problems that the Israelites had was disobedience. However, they thought their problem was "not enough". In our class last night, we talked about the "not enough" symptom. I just don't have enough to do what I need to do. If I only had this or that, it would be easier to complete this or do that. In Haggai 1:5-7, Haggai rebukes the Jews for their disobedience. "Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Consider your ways! You have sown much but harvested little. You eat, but you are not satisfied; you drink, but you are not filled. You put on clothes, but you are not warm. And the one who earns wages puts the wages into a bag with holes.', 'Consider your ways!' says the Lord. 'Consider your ways!'" The Israelites had enough of what they needed. They were given plenty, but they were not satisfied. They used that as an excuse and viewed that as their problem.

I have stated before that I am a fixer. Immediately, when I hear someone talk about a problem, I go into fix mode. In this lesson, Jennifer Rothschild talked about her son when he was young. He wanted to do everything by himself, as young children do. When encountering problems, he would say that he was a "solution-solver." I love that term much better than fixer. You see, the Israelites didn't recognize the "solution-solver" in their life. They thought their problem was that they didn't have enough of what they needed. The real problem was disobedience. They weren't following God's directions.

Sometimes in life, we think we know what the problem is and quickly go about being the solution-solver. In our haste, we forget the steps of turning to God with the problem, verifying that it is our problem, allowing Him to guide us to the solution, and giving Him the glory in all the in-between. We easily go about trying to fix the problem ourselves. Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

You see, I don't need to be a fixer or "solution-solver". I need to be a Daughter and rely on my Father. Job 11:13-19 (ESV) is a beautiful scripture that tells us to prepare our hearts and reach out to God. If we put away our fears, we will forget our problems. They will seem as water passing by. Our life will be bright, and the darkness will fade away into morning. We will not fear. There is a Wow moment! What a comfort.