I was listening to the brilliant Glyn Barrett the other day and I heard him share this quote by Theodore Rubin:
"The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem."
Around 850BC or so, a group of men faced a problem - "the place where we meet is too small for us" 2 Kings 6:1. So they decided to solve the problem - "Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to meet" 2 Kings 6:2. The only problem was that in trying to solve the problem, they gained another problem: "As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. “Oh no, my lord!” he cried out. “It was borrowed!”" 2 Kings 6:5
What do you do when you keep facing one problem after another?
Oh the agony! "Oh no, my lord! It was borrowed!" However, Elisha's response is NOT - "Oh no - who did you borrow it from?" or "How much is it going to cost to replace?" or "How did the axhead slip?" His response is - "Where did it fall?"
When facing a problem, it is important to focus on the Word of God concerning the problem and not just on the causes and consequences of the problem.
The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. “Lift it out,” he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it. 2 Kings 6:6-7
The very thing that slipped from his hand came back to his hand. He didn't have to swim to go get it, it was within arm's reach.
"The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem."
Is there a problem? God may have something to say about it. A miracle may be within arm's reach.