August 12, 2009
Just as this giraffe does not know what lies over the hill, we do not know what will happen to use tomorrow let alone next week. When I look at this picture, I am reminded that God is in control of my life and that only He knows what lies ahead. He is the navigator of my life, not me or anyone else. I am also reminded of the story of the widow and the oil found in 2 Kings 4:1-7. We heard a message on this very story tonight. The story reads as follows...
Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into the vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
The woman in this story is not named. I think that is because she could be anyone of us. She has just lost her husband who left her a huge debt and is about to lose her sons because of that debt. I don’t know about you, but that puts my problems into better perspective. She just lost her husband! I may have lost my temper, or car keys, or an important piece of paper. BUT she lost her husband! My loses do not matter compared to hers. Our response to our problem is the real issue here, not the problem!
Instead of turning to drugs, alcohol, or any other corrupt thing, she turns to Elisha, a man of God!! She is told to sell her ONLY pot of oil! This pot is not a large pot. The oil in it probably does not amount to anymore than what is left after we fry bacon.
Think for a moment about what you would have done. She has just been told to collect empty pots, go into a private place and divide the small amount oil, and sell it. She did what she was told to out of faith! Do you have that kind of faith?!
We must simply, as she did, trust God and obey Him. She trusted that what Elisha said to do and she obeyed it. We must spend that much needed private time with God every day! She spent the private time pouring the oil into the pots.
If she had more pots, the oil would have continued to be poured out in abundance. She was limited on pots, so the oil stopped flowing. Just think about the blessing God can give us if we are prepared for it. She was not prepared for this problem, let alone for the blessings that would come out of it.
God worked out her problem; not her, not her sons, not Elisha, but God! He can work out any problem you have, too. He knows where you will be tomorrow, ten years from now, 100 years from now. He knows what trials you will face and the blessings you will reap from those trials. Just imagine how much more those blessings will be if you are ready for them! We must spend time with Him every day in private prayer and in His word to get prepared for those times in our lives.
Are you ready?!
Remember that to get something you have never had before, you must do something you have never done before.
Every year my mom helps out at the Lancaster Festival Fair Day. I had the privilege to help out this year! It was so much fun. I got to spend time with my mom and two fo my sisters. These days that does not happen too often, so it was a GREAT day!
This is one of the MANY beautiful views on the roads of Guernsey and Muskingum Counties. Britney Jane and I will be here next time she comes!!
