Click to download the audio version of “Holistic Understanding of God’s Vision: Part 2”
Focus Area: Recognizes both the individual and the systemic sources of problems and solutions to those problems.
Today’s discussion topic is: Holistic understanding of God’s vision recognizes both the individual and systemic sources of problems and the solutions to those problems. To start, we should take a moment to clarify the difference between individual and systemic problems. A systemic problem is a problem due to issues inherent in the overall system, rather than due to a specific, individual, or isolated factor. This might include problems in a region such as corruption, racism or discrimination, access to educational opportunities, access to clean drinking water, access to enough food and so on. When we’re referring to individual problems, we could be referring to problems that are specific to a person, such as alcoholism, drug abuse, physical abuse, mental illness, lack of hygiene or an unbelief in Jesus.
Individual and systemic problems exist anywhere you go in the world. The sources of these problems will vary, but it’s so important to identify what the root cause or source of the problem is. Without an understanding of what is causing the problem, it will be nearly impossible to come up with a solution. Some problems are extremely complex and difficult to diagnose. So where should we start?
As followers of Christ, we know that we can bring any problems or issues in our life before Jesus and He will listen. Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.” In Philippians, 4:6, Paul reminds the Church at Philippi, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Don’t these scriptures also apply to problems that are not our own, but problems that we see in our community, or in other individuals? In 1 Timothy 2:1 (NLT), Paul writes to Timothy concerning the care of the church at Ephesus and says, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them.” God calls us to bring individual and systemic problems that directly affect us, or those around us, to Him in prayer.
As we lift-up the problems that we encounter, both individual and systemic, before the Lord, there are four questions that we should look to seek answers to. Ask the Lord to identify:
- What is going on?
- Why is this going on?
- What ought to be happening, or what is the desired result?
- How might we respond?
If we can ask the Lord for help in answering these questions, finding solutions to the problems that we encounter in our communities and in our daily lives will be much easier to identify.
I’d like to close by reminding everyone that God loves us so incredibly much, despite all the problems we have created for ourselves. Yes, He loves you, me and others we meet, so much that He would sacrifice His one son, to die, so that we could come back into a right relationship with Him (God the Father). You see, He did this because He saw a problem with our lives: SIN. God had a solution to our problem of sin and that was Jesus.
