Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”  II Kings 4:3-4

     There are many powerful and important lessons within this small Bible story, but I want to mention two more important things to remember as we look once more at this narrative:

     Don’t put limits on God. The man of God told this destitute woman to go to all her neighbors and borrow empty jars from them. I would really not want to hear this instruction. I hate asking for things from people; I would hate the humility required to do that. We are in a needy position when we are in need, right? We hate that! But I’ve learned that many of us (including myself) don’t get our miracles because we don’t want to position ourselves to receive one! Then Elisha adds “Oh and don’t ask for just a few.” Maybe it’s our pride or our scarcity mindset, but when we are in need, we don’t believe (or ask) for much sometimes. If you are in need today, don’t pray weeny little prayers because you think God won’t answer, doesn’t care. Be bold in your prayers and submissive to his answer. Chuck Swindoll, in the book, Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back, says, “Refuse to doubt. Refuse to worry or to try to work your problem out by yourself. Take your hands off!  Ask God, in absolute faith to take over. Child of God, learn a family secret: God specializes in things we think are totally impossible.”  Next lesson:

     Shut the front door. Isn’t it interesting that the prophet was very specific that she shut the door behind her and her sons? Maybe he didn’t want her swayed by onlookers giving their opinions. Once you have direction from God, then shut the door on human reason, doubt, naysayers, your timetable, impatience, the voices in your head, shut the door on worry, anger, bitterness, second-guessing. Just do the next thing, and then guard your faith. There’s always a tension (and a time lapse) in that time between God speaking and us seeing it happen.

     A young wife came to me and said that her husband was doing some things that were hurting her heart and her marriage. When I asked if God had told her what to do, she said that God had told her to stop talking. (I agreed. She’d said enough already!) Two days later she said he had made some decisions, and she didn’t know if she could keep quiet. I said, “Unless God told you otherwise, it might be best to keep obeying what He said.” Decide you will obey. Period. Shut the door on anything other than God’s instruction to you. “Don’t doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.”

*Are you in a needy situation? Don’t limit God. Boldly ask, and quietly listen. Then diligently obey.

Heavenly Father, I truly desire to hear from You in my neediness. May I remember Your love; then there will be no fear in my life. Help me to walk in Your love every day, no matter what You ask, no matter how it looks or feels. I will obey. Help me to set aside worry and replace it with trust. I ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.


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