GOD IS THE SOLUTION OF YOUR PROBLEMS

I don’t know what problem you’re staring at right now, but I’m sure you have at least one for which you don’t have an answer — a problem for which you just keep running into dead ends.

You need the Holy Spirit to enlighten your mind so you can find the answer for your problem in God’s Word. The Bible calls that illumination.

In Genesis 21 the Bible tells us a story about a woman and her child who were in desperate need of illumination. The story starts with Abraham and Sarah, who had been promised a son in their old age. At 90, Abraham still didn’t have a son. Sarah decided to take the situation into her own hands. She suggested that her husband have a baby with one of her servants. But that was Sarah’s plan — not God’s.

When Sarah eventually had a son of her own, she resented her servant, Hagar, and Hagar’s son, Ishmael. Eventually, she kicked Hagar and Ishmael out. Hagar feared her son would die of starvation, so she began to cry. She had a problem, and only God could help her.

After God encouraged her, the Bible says, “Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink” (Genesis 22:19 NIV).

That’s what we all need. We need God to open our eyes so we can see the answer to our problems in his Word. Truth is, we’re incapable of finding the answers to the problems that plague us on our own. Like Hagar, we desperately need the Lord.

Hagar had the solution right in front of her — a well of water — but she couldn’t see it until God opened her eyes and helped her see from a different perspective.

You need the Holy Spirit to enlighten your mind, too. When God opens your eyes, you see the resources that are literally right in front of you.

Talk About It

What problem does God want to show you the answer to today?

Have you asked him to open your eyes to the solution he has for you?

This May, Saddleback Church will host Summit VIII to inspire and equip Christians to effectively live out God’s love for the orphan through adoption, foster care, and global initiatives. Learn more about Summit at www.summitviii.org.

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book, The Purpose Driven Church, was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.

This devotional © 2012 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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