Problems, Ideas, and Solutions.
Everyone can see the problem, most can think of ideas that may fix the problem, but few can implement effective solutions.
I work with a lot of colleagues and a lot of students. If you work in environments with a lot of people, then you will quickly find out what is wrong. Negative pessimistic people, positive optimistic people, underachievers and overachievers all can point out problems or issues.
Many of those same people even have ideas on how to fix, or improve, the problem. They can say things that could hypothetically solve the problem.
But it changes when it comes to tangible solutions to implement. Few seem to hit this measure.
I think it takes several elements to bridge the gap between ideas and solutions. To illustrate, let's use a simple example: imagine a building that is looking old and outdated. Most people can see it needs work. Many have opinions on what should be done. But watch what happens when you trace why those opinions never become action.
Unrealistic — Some ideas are just not realistic, tangible, or possible. For instance, an idea may be to just build a new building. But this is probably way outside a budget and would delay all current work going on in the building.
Selfishness — One way to make a building look nicer is to pressure wash the sides, do some landscaping, or put one's personal time or effort into it. This seems to be the most common disconnect between idea and solution. People pointing out the problem do not care enough to actually create the solution. This can easily fall into a "not my job" mentality.
Ignorance — Some people may see an old building and have no real understanding of loans, financing, resources, permits, etc. So they may see the old, run-down building but have no real knowledge to fix anything.
Vanity — They want others to know they care, to see the problem with something — to virtue signal how caring they are. This could be a social media post where "if ________ cared so much about their people they would fix this building." Unfortunately, we see this one a lot more in the world.
It's difficult — Sometimes the solution is simple, but often it's a problem because it's difficult. This is where brain power, trial and error, and innovation are required.
In every one of those cases, the building stays the same. The problem remains. Those who actually create tangible solutions are those who can put in the work, seek wisdom on the problem, invest their own time and resources, and often solve problems for reasons bigger than themselves.
Working in public education, the problems are many but the problem solvers can be few. I even catch myself in these categories because there are big problems. A vast majority, if not everyone, agrees that standardized testing is not the best method of measuring intelligence or mastery of a subject, yet it continues. These problems seem too big to conquer and solutions just seem unrealistic.
However, where we have more influence at the ground level with students, we can solve a lot more of the problems. You can probably identify several problems in your workplace, family, or even in yourself right now, but it is important to ask yourself why you aren't creating the solution. If the problem is important enough to you, then you will find a solution — i.e., if there is a will, there is a way. If the problem isn't important enough to create a solution, then you may not want to fixate on the problem. Focusing on a problem without wanting to create a solution seems like a recipe for unnecessary suffering or misery.
And if that's true on a human level, it raises a bigger question — what about the problems that feel too large for any person to fix? That's where faith enters the conversation.
A Biblical Perspective
Biblically, this is a very big and broad concept. Christians and non-Christians alike often state: "If God cares, then doesn't he fix/solve ________?"
I would say that this is a common thought, one that I have even wrestled with myself. It can lead to a very deep theological answer, but I will keep it surface level, mainly because that's the depth of my knowledge.
There have been many cases where God did act and "solve problems" directly and indirectly. We have seen it with just and perfect wrath: Noah and the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah. We have seen it where he has gotten people's attention and directed them: Moses and the burning bush, Jonah and the whale, blinding Paul. We have seen miraculous events like the splitting of the Red Sea, the plagues, and even creation itself.
So we can confidently say that God does directly act on this world. But God does seem to work through people as much, if not more. God chooses broken, wretched people to help his will be fulfilled on earth as it is in heaven. This is literally all throughout the Bible — God telling men and women to carry out his will.
If we accept that he is an all-powerful God that can create life itself, then we also have to accept that he is an all-knowing God. Meaning that we can trust — whether he acts directly, splitting the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites, indirectly, using David to defeat Goliath, or seemingly taking no action — that there is a great purpose to it. This would be the definition of faith.
The Bible tells a beautiful story where three teenagers — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — refuse to bow down to a statue, knowing that their punishment will be death by fire. The king angrily confronts them, and their response is truly amazing.
The king confronts them — Daniel 3:15–18
"But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, "King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty's hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
They are thrown into a fiery furnace, yet they survive without any burns. The fire was so hot and raging that it even killed the soldiers who threw them in. When the king looks in, he sees the three men plus one more, just walking around. He states in awe that they are unharmed and that the other man must be the "Son of God." So we see where these young men prayed for divine intervention and received it. It is worth noting that the Book of Daniel was written 165 years before Jesus was born — meaning Jesus was already present and active long before Bethlehem.
We also see in the Bible where God does not act or intervene as we would expect, because a greater purpose is in His will. This involves Jesus again, but in much different circumstances.
Jesus, before going to the cross, was literally sweating blood and prayed to God asking Him not to go to the cross — praying that if there is any other way, to let it be. "Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'" Matthew 26:39. This also shows that God is able to save him from his circumstances, but Jesus still submits to God's will even if He doesn't.
Now we see Jesus' humanity and divine nature here. We can't fathom the physical pain he is about to endure, let alone the spiritual pain and weight of taking on the sins of the world — our sin — on his shoulders. He prays to ask God to remove this circumstance because he knows God is capable, yet trusts God and His will. Also, this is Jesus — he was capable of escaping it himself, yet still fulfills the will of God.
So God's all-knowing nature is seen by his inaction here, because this has been the rescue mission for the world since day one. He knew all of our rebellion would lead to this moment where we can receive salvation through Jesus and enjoy eternity with him. See 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Isaiah 53, John 3:16.
But in the same way he is perfectly loving and merciful, he is perfectly just. The weight of sin — the debt of sin — requires atonement (payment for spiritual debt).
Think of a judge who allows a criminal to not pay a fine — that is an unjust judge. The criminal owes that debt. A judge who pays that debt out of his own pocket is a just judge, ensuring the debt is paid, but who loves the criminal enough to pay that debt for them. That is the gospel in a single image — perfect justice and perfect love, satisfied at the same time.
So when it comes to problem solving in the world, three things come to mind:
1 — The only problem is sin. Everything else is downstream from it. If you want God to snap his fingers and bring justice to sin — I would take caution in praying that. But also, it has already been defeated on the cross, for those who believe in Him.
2 — God often acts through humans and the occasional whale. So if you are fixated on a problem in the world or the church, instead of asking why God doesn't fix this, pray that God gives you the power, courage, and strength to fix, address, or help with it. That might be the exact way God plans to fix it anyway.
3 — God will ultimately deal with every problem in time. He will protect the righteous and bring wrath to the wicked — in His time. We are talking about a God that transcends time and eternity. Luckily, we are made righteous through Jesus. Because of his righteousness, we are made righteous and holy. But also, I have struggled with the idea of judgment when seeing all of the evil in the world that seemingly goes unpunished. Most recently, the Epstein files, for example. But we have to remember — our time on earth is a vapor, a blip on the timeline of eternity. The Bible often mentions that He will bring wrath to the wicked or unrighteous. There are too many verses to quote, so I will share the website that shows many of them.
So God will handle the problem that sin has created — the problem you may be obsessed with, the problem that causes you to fret or be anxious. And it will happen in a relatively short time, but in His time. The wicked person who may cause major problems in the world for you or others will eventually be held accountable for what they have done.
We get to rest in the fact that we serve a God who is all-knowing, all-loving, perfect in justice, perfect in wrath, and perfect in mercy. That is not a distant, indifferent God — that is a Father who sees every problem, knows every solution, and is working all things together for the good of those who love Him.