How many fingers do you see?

A man holds up four fingers, asking another, "How many fingers do you see?"  When the other answered four, the man holding up the fingers became irritated and left.  This is from a scene in the movie, "Patch Adams".  Patch had admitted himself into a psychiatric hospital, and on his first day, a genius who was considered to be crazy held up the four fingers.  

Later in the movie, Patch went to the genius and asked him the correct answer.  The genius held up four fingers again, and told Patch to look past the problem (the fingers) to the solution.  When Patch did, he clearly saw the answer, eight fingers.

"Casting the whole of your care -- all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all -- on Him; for He cares for you affectionately, and cares about you watchfully."  1 Peter 5:7

Too often we focus on the situation at hand rather than the solution.  When we look to our Helper, our Savior, our Comforter, our Mediator, we are seeing past the problem (the four fingers) into the solution (the eight fingers).  

The problem in front of us can prevent us from seeing the correct answer.  Rather, we see what we want to see.  When we walk by faith, and not by sight, we are focused in on Jesus.  We are focused in on what the Word says about our situation.  We are focused in on what the Holy Spirit is telling us.  And we can go to him in prayer expecting to see past the obvious and right to the correct solution.  This solution may not be what we thought, but it is the one that will not only get us through the situation, but bring us into the abundant life in Christ Jesus.  

"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." Psalm 37:5