Prayer poised in Principle, not problems

In the story  of Noah and the ark, the Bible tells us that, after forty days, Noah sent out a raven, which flew “to and fro” over the water. He also sent out a dove to find some evidence that the floodwaters had receded. The first time the dove returned to the ark, it was empty-handed. But when, after a few days, Noah sent the dove out again, this time it brought back an olive leaf, a good indicator that the land ahead was resurfacing as floodwaters subsided (see Genesis 8:6–12). 

I’ve found it helpful to ponder the dove’s flight. Rather than flying “to and fro” over the water, it brought evidence that it had seen land. 

In our approach to problem-solving, it can be helpful to ask ourselves whether our mental posture is in line with what the dove represents. For example, we’re often educated to think that the way to solve a health issue or other problem is to survey and focus on symptoms of the problem, which are misleading and can be mesmerizing. This tends to keep us flitting over the “floodwaters” of fear and speculation, which is counterproductive. To break this unhealthful trend, we can learn from the example of Noah’s dove: We can keep our focus above the negative symptoms or circumstances and seek the higher—the spiritual—view, which leads to healing. This involves reasoning from a better basis—in prayer. 

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