A Surprise Solution: God Can Do Anything!

I was very pleased. It was one week before Pesach, and the kitchen was clean! It was a good feeling to have it out of the way.

But what was this? A light on the stovetop indicated that a burner was on, even though all the burners were turned to the "off" position.

That was not a good thing. We had a problem like this once before; when we turned the knob to "off", the burner remained on. At the time, we had to order a special part and have it installed. I was not thrilled at the prospect of losing days of use of my stovetop!

I quickly turned off the circuit breaker for the range, so at least there wouldn't be any imminent danger. My next step was to Google the problem, in the hopes of finding an easy, or at least workable, solution.

Nothing is Too Difficult for Hashem

One of the requirements of trust is the absolute ability to solve any problem. Hashem is completly dependable. There is no issue that is beyond His ability to repair. That means that even if I don't see any possible solution, I trust that if Hashem wants to take care of the problem, He can.

That is a big "if", however. There are many instances in which Hashem does not resolve our challenges for us. This is due not to lack of ability, but for other reasons that we might not understand.

Bitachon dictates that we believe that Hashem CAN provide the solution, if He deems it fit.

(See The Shadchan and Habit #3: Able and Unstoppable)

Surprise!

Initially, it seemed to be the same problem we had previously. However, I soon noticed that despite the indicator light, none of the burners was actually hot.

Upon further investigation, I ascertained that the problem was just the indicator light, and I could almost certainly use the stovetop safely. Though we would have to fix the problem eventually, this discovery was quite a relief.

A day or two later, I was pleased to find that the light had turned off. The range was functioning completely normally. And I had done nothing at all to effect this desirable outcome!

I was really happy that I would not need to expend any further effort or money on this issue. What a fabulous and unexpected solution to my problem!

The Lesson

Reflecting upon the events of the past few days, I felt that there was an important lesson to learn:
God is able to accomplish anything.

This also means that whatever the ultimate outcome is, it is exactly what Hashem intended. There is no such thing as an accident or a coincidence. If Hashem had wanted it to be otherwise, He could have had it that way. The fact that things are the way they are is evidence that that is how God wanted them to be!

Practical Bitachon

1. When a problem is unexpectedly solved, attribute it to Hashem! Thank Him for helping you out in this way!
2. When you face a difficulty, and it isn't solved for you, attribute that to Hashem too! Recognize that this challenge was sent special for you, and that it serves some very important purpose!