Living Thru The Nothings
Pt. 4 - No More White Flags
It is one of my least favorite words. Nothing. It is a word that reveals lack. It holds no element of promise. It contains no ounce of hope. Let me see if I can explain.
You watch them take large percentages out of your check each month. So as May approaches you get excited because you know for a fact that you are going to get something back from the IRS and then your CPA does all the math and lo and behold you get . . . nothing!
Someone makes you a promise and week after week goes by, then month after month and nothing. No attempt to fulfill their word. No movement towards making good on their vow. Nothing!
The demand is there but the resource is not! The need is apparent the solution is not. A withdrawal is requested but there seems to be no funds. Energy is a must but the tanks are empty! Nothing in the cabinets. Nothing in the bank. Nothing in reserve. Relationship longed for but nothing. Nothing!
I hate the word. I hate the experience even more.
I wonder if maybe some of you are presently living through a nothing moment?
Expectations unmet? Dry when you expected oasis? Caring has become cursing. Wedding turned to war. Health lost to sickness. Healing only a desire. Nothing.
How do you live through that?
There are several "Nothing" accounts in Scripture that I think we would do well to examine and learn from. If all your dreams are coming to pass and life is all fairytale endings for you, then you are not going to understand or need this series. But for the rest of us maybe this will provide some help if not hope.
In Week 1, we dealt with the nothing experience that the disciples had. They were presented with the challenge to feed a hungry crowd and they had nothing. Jesus uses that situation to publicly expose their nothing so that they would have to rely on Him and on others around them. Then He exposes the lie of lack. The disciples had allowed the size of their need to overwhelm the truth of what they had to offer.
In Week 2, we talked about the nothing Elijah faced when he prayed for rain only to have his servant come back and say he saw nothing. We learned that in order to make it through the nothings we must believe promise more than the proof. We must remain in the position of prayer and remember that small clouds can produce a huge miracle. You can't overlook the first indication of change because God can make it rain!
Last week, we talked about what Elijah taught us when he ran in fear from Jezebel. He taught us that in order to navigate nothings seasons we must distinguish between insulation and isolation. Don't despise or fight the separation. It could be for your own good. We learned that we must not neglect the natural if we want to see the supernatural set into motion. We learned that it is essential to lean in and hear God's voice because even if the Word we receive doesn't change anything around us it can change everything in us!
Text: 2 Kings 6:8-18
One time when the king of Aram was at war with Israel, after consulting with his officers, he said, “At such and such a place I want an ambush set.” The Holy Man sent a message to the king of Israel: “Watch out when you’re passing this place, because Aram has set an ambush there.” So the king of Israel sent word concerning the place of which the Holy Man had warned him. This kind of thing happened all the time. The king of Aram was furious over all this. He called his officers together and said, “Tell me, who is leaking information to the king of Israel? Who is the spy in our ranks?” But one of his men said, “No, my master, dear king. It’s not any of us. It’s Elisha the prophet in Israel. He tells the king of Israel everything you say, even what you whisper in your bedroom.” The king said, “Go and find out where he is. I’ll send someone and capture him.”The report came back, “He’s in Dothan.” Then he dispatched horses and chariots, an impressive fighting force. They came by night and surrounded the city. Early in the morning a servant of the Holy Man got up and went out. Surprise! Horses and chariots surrounding the city! The young man exclaimed, “Oh, master! What shall we do?” He said, “Don’t worry about it—there are more on our side than on their side.” Then Elisha prayed, “O God, open his eyes and let him see.”The eyes of the young man were opened and he saw. A wonder! The whole mountainside full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha! When the Arameans attacked, Elisha prayed to God, “Strike these people blind!” And God struck them blind, just as Elisha said.
Elisha is doing what prophets did back in the day. He was serving as the mouth piece of God to the king of Israel and warning him of what the enemy was going to do before he did it. This infuriated Aram and he takes action. He comes after Elisha and surrounds him in the night. Talk about a rude awakening. At rest . . . comfortable . . . concealed . . . secure . . . and then out of nowhere cornered . . . threatened . . . vulnerable . . . and surrounded. Ever been there? There now? Life is just moving along. Everything is going according to plan. No issues. No incidents. No worries. Then one morning you are awakened to aggression. You are overtaken by an army of anger. You are cornered by conflict. You are surrounded by sickness. Fun days turn into frightened days. Easy street becomes clogged with enemies. Days like this lead to seasons of nothing.
Elisha barely even seems to roll over at the news that he is surrounded (maybe there is a lesson right there . . . it is imperative to remain secure in your position with God even when surrounded). The servant recognizing the dire situation they are facing drives the message home . . . hey boss, I looked and there is no hope, no way out, no gap in the lines to sneak out of, we are outnumbered, and doomed. I looked. I am telling you there is nothing we can do. It is against the backdrop of this declaration, Elisha's response and what takes place after that from which I want to teach you the final, and perhaps most important, lesson about how to Live Through The Nothings.
In the nothings you must have someone to surround the surrounders.
In the nothings, you cannot buy or believe the lie that you are alone! If you believe you are alone you will make silly and scared decisions that you would never make if you knew that you had the advantage. Elisha's servant would have surrendered. He has the white flag pressed, ironed and is ready to run it up the pole. However, because Elisha recognized he had the upper-hand and rather than surrendering he relaxes, responds rather than reacts, and rallies for victory. Too many of us surrender or retreat simply because we think that we are alone. Too many of us fall at the first sign of conflict, pain, heartache and adversity simply because we don't realize that we are not in this by ourselves! If you were by yourself you should run but you are not!
Some of you have examined the surrounding of your life and you are ready to wave the white flag and give up. You have noticed the mounting bills. You have seen the increased pain. You see the gathering of storm clouds and it only seems to be getting darker. You are surrounded. But I need to remind you this morning that there are two more facts that you need to consider before you cave in and fold.
You are not alone!
Psalms 34:7
For the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him.
Psalms 91
1Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2This I declare about the LORD:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
8Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.
9If you make the LORD your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
10no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
11For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
12They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
14The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
16I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”
Open your eyes. I know it looks like you are alone but look again! Heaven's resources. Heaven's armies are gathered and have surrounded your surrounders. Take hope. Take courage. We sing it . . . it is time to believe it.
I call Your Name
Lord, You reply
You bring Your Kingdom
To stand by my side
His Kingdom and all of His ability and power is at our call! Don't give up! If He is for me, then who can be against me? The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but they are mighty! That means since they aren't carnal or natural you often don't see them at work in the natural but they are still effective! No more white flags!
But I also want to make another statement of fact to you. God has positioned you so that you not only have angels to surround your surrounders, but He has also given you people who will surround your surrounders!
When I face trial and struggle. When I feel like I have nothing it can be difficult to see in the supernatural so I am thankful that I have natural surrounders too. God has put me in relationship with folks that are willing to surround my surrounders. (Illustrate with men.) It is easier to stay encouraged and faithful when what I am surrounded by is surrounded by natural surrounders.
I just wanted to remind you, because some of you have forgotten, we got your back. You are here by divine assignment so that we can surround your surrounders.
Sick? Doesn't sweat it we will pray. Broke? Don't sweat it we will cover you. Scared? Don't fear we will watch over you. Threatened? Run . . . but run behind us we will guard you. Tired? Let us surround you and watch over you so that you can rest! Faithless? We will encircle you with belief!
God put you right smack dab in the middle of surround surrounders! Don't hide from help! Don't overlook the advantage you have at your disposal. Don't underestimate your resource! If you do you will make the mistake of labeling someone a busybody when in fact they were a bodyguard. You will think someone is nosy when they are in fact assigned to you as a night-guard. If you don't understand that God has people around you that can surround your surrounders, then you will dismiss them and displace them to your own defeat!
Oh, and one last word this morning. Notice that even though Elisha was confident and recognized that he had the upper-hand and even though the servant was finally able to see the truth about the situations the text reads "When they attacked!" You need to know that in the nothing season you will be attacked! It isn't if it is when. It is certain. The attack will come. The key is to make sure you are surrounded before you are surrounded!
Altar - those that feel like they are surrounded get in center aisle. Have congregation surround them. Can't get through us. More for you than against you.
You are surrounded . . . so you should refuse to wave the white flag!!! It is time to turn in your flag of surrender because we have what is attacking you right where we want them! Surrender your surrender this morning! Open your eyes!
