When God does a "suddenly"

Read 2 Kings 4:1-7. I shared this as part of my message on Ash Wednesday.

There are times when it seems God takes His time in answering our prayers. Other times, He uses natural means – doctors or investments, for example – to take care of us. Sometimes we get in the attitude where we no longer expect God to move “suddenly”, and we wonder if God will move that way when we need it.

The widow in this story needed a “suddenly” – the creditors were coming to take her sons away and sell them as slaves. She went to Elisha (a prophet that had previously trained her husband for ministry) for assistance, because she knew Elisha could hear from God.

Elisha asked what assets she had – just a jar of olive oil. He told her to borrow all the containers she could from friends and neighbors  and fill each one with oil from the jar. I can imagine her trying to figure out “my little jar of oil can’t fill all these containers, but if Elisha said to do it, he must have a reason”. Or perhaps she was expecting a miracle because she’d seen Elisha and other prophets do so many others.

Picture her trying to pour a quart of oil into an 8 quart cooking pot, and the oil doesn’t run out. So she got a 5 gallon water jug and start pouring, and it fills up too. Same for the 30 gallon water purification pot, the sauce pans, the tea kettle, and all of the other containers she gathered. The oil didn’t stop until she ran out of containers to put it in. I imagine there were so many containers full of oil that it was difficult to walk through the house.

I wonder why Elisha didn’t tell her to sell the oil in the first place, since she went back and ask him what to do with all this oil. He told her to sell the oil, pay off the debts, and live on the rest.

Do you need a “suddenly” ? Do you believe God can do one for you?

Doug

Which way did He go?

I used to watch Warner cartoons all the time. One phrase I remember was a character (I think it was the Abominable Snowman), looking for Bugs Bunny, saying “Which way did he go?”

There are times at church when you wonder if the Spirit is here, or if He took a vacation or what – you don’t feel His presence. You’re wondering which way He went, and how to get Him to come back.

We’re told from scripture that Jesus, by the presence of the Holy Spirit, will never abandon us. I think most times we don’t see the Holy Spirit at work is because we’re distracted by concerns – the “cares of this world” that choke God’s word and presence. It might be sickness, it might be bills, it might be a falling-out with a friend. You’re hoping someone else can pick you up, with a hug, a song, or a good sermon.

The Holy Spirit comes into church each week with you and with me, but He shines out through each of us when we give Him the chance. Give your attention to the One that can fix your circumstances, rather than the problems themselves. Let Him show you what to do about the issues of your life. Be positive that God is on your side, and you can have a Holy Spirit joy-filled day.

Doug