Dealing With Despair
II Kings 4:1-7
During the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century, German pastor Paul Gerhardt and his family were forced to flee from their home.One night as they stayed in a small village inn, homeless and afraid, his wife broke down and cried openly in despair. To comfort her, Gerhardt reminded her of Scripture promises about God's provision and keeping.Then, going out to the garden to be alone, he too broke down and wept.He felt he had come to his darkest hour.Soon afterward, Gerhardt felt the burden lifted and sensed anew the Lord's presence.Taking his pen, he wrote a hymn that has brought comfort to many.
"Give to the winds thy fears; hope, and be undismayed”
“God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears”
“God shall lift up thy head”
“Through waves and clouds and storms He gently clears the way”
“Wait thou His time, so shall the night soon end in joyous day"
(Source:Our Daily Bread, May 7, 1992)
Scripture tells us that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”. - Psalm 30:5
Today, I would like to preach about “Dealing With Despair”. Despair is defined as - “a feeling of hopelessness” Have you ever been there? Have you ever looked at your circumstances and said “there is no hope”?
o Do you have a marriage that is in trouble and it seems that you are bound for divorce?
o Do you have an addiction to drugs or alcohol that you cannot seem to overcome?
o Do you have a loved one facing a serious illness?
o Are there problems at work or maybe you have even lost your job?
o Do you have bills that you can’t seem to pay and the creditors keep calling?
o Have you had to bury someone special to you and you are consumed with grief?
o Do you have a wayward son or daughter that you worry about day and night?
Maybe you are walking through a valley and you are facing many difficult circumstances at once. Sometimes it is in the darkest hour that God makes His presence known most clearly. He can use suffering and trouble to show us that He is our only source of strength. Many times when we are in moments of despair, we look to everyone and everything but God for help. And in many cases this response only adds to the despair. If despair means hopelessness, then the only place we CAN turn is to the ONLY one who can give us hope!! His name, Jesus Christ!
Jesus said Himself - in John 16:33 In this world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
these verses we have read today paint a picture of someone who is at rock bottom.We see a lady who is experiencing extreme difficulty in her life. She was a widow who was married to one of the “sons of the prophets”. The “sons of the prophets” was a group similar to a seminary today. This widow was bankrupt and the creditors were knocking on her door.In place of the debt her sons would be taken as slaves. We can assume that this woman had tried to raise some money and been unsuccessful. Now she comes to Elisha and asked for help. At this point her life was not what she wanted it to be. She was in an intensely difficult situation. There was nothing she could do to solve her problems.Through it all, she remained devoted to The Lord.
In her time of desperation she did not turn to family or friends. She did not go to someone for a loan to pay the debts. She turned to God’s man… the prophet Elisha. We can learn how to respond to difficulty by looking at her response to the trouble she faced: In the midst of her trouble she trusted the Lord. She turned to Him for the help she needed. Though she may have been confused or even angry about her circumstances she still trusted God. Though things looked dim and there seemed to be no hope, SHE STILL TRUSTED GOD!
When she explained her situation Elisha asked what she had in her house. She didn’t have much; in fact all she had was a little pot of oil. Elisha told her to v3 “Go and borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors.4 then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.” - She was faithful and obedient.She did as she was told and the oil was multiplied. She then sold the oil and paid her debt.
What we can learn from this story is that to Deal With Despair we must
i. TURN TO THE LORD
ii. TALK TO THE LORD
iii. TRUST IN THE LORD
Let’s look at this for a few moments…. When in Despair:
I. TURN TO THE LORD
We read that this widow went to God’s man… Elisha - v1 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.
She cried to him… this word “cried” means “to moan; to weep uncontrollably; to shriek out of grief.” This woman wasn’t a little frustrated… she was completely DEVASTATED! Her husband is already dead and it looks like she will soon lose her sons. As a result of the debts she could not pay, the creditors were coming to take her sons away as slaves so they could work off the debt. - This concept was allowed under the Jewish Law - Leviticus 25:29 explains that a creditor could claim the debtor or their children as bondmen till the year of jubilee. After this they would be set free.
So at this point her troubles are bad and are getting worse. For this woman, there was no light at the end of the tunnel. She was hopeless & in DESPAIR! But she didn’t turn to anyone else… SHE LOOKED TO THE LORD FOR HELP! Like the Psalm says “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” Psalms 121:
If you are in a time of despair and things are getting worse, could it be that you are looking in the wrong place for help? Some try to fix things themselves.Some look to family and friends for help and advice. (They love you but they can and will let you down) Some read books and listen to philosophers. Some look to pastors and teachers.Some hang on every word spoken by Oprah, Dr. Phil and others. Throughout the Word of God we find that the Lord is the only place for us to go for help!
Psalms 37:40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
Psalms 62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Psalms 64:10 the righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.
Psalms 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Intertwined with “Turning to the Lord” is the fact that to Deal With Despair we must:
II. TALK TO THE LORD
Friend, if you are at a place of despair THE ONLY place you can find TRUE help is in THE LORD! Turn to Him … tell Him your problems… look to Him for guidance.
Edmund S. Lorenz addressed this in his hymn "Tell It To Jesus"
"Are you weary, are you heavy hearted?"
"Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus."
"Are you grieving over joys departed?"
"Tell it to Jesus alone."
"Do the tears flow down your cheeks unbidden?"
"Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus."
"Do you fear the gathering clouds of sorrow?"
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
Are you anxious what shall be tomorrow?
Tell it to Jesus alone.
When you turn to the Lord and Talk to the Lord He will give you the guidance that you need. This is no guarantee of immediate deliverance from your troubles. Keep in mind that the trouble you are asking the Lord to remove from your life may be trouble that He put in your life for a reason! This widow cried out to Elisha and received some specific instructions - v2 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 any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. 3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
All this lady had was a pot of oil, it must have seemed so small compared to the needs that she had. This small pot of oil that seemed so insufficient would be more than enough when God added His blessing to it. But she had to be willing to offer it to Him!
Many times we fail to realize is that God has already given us everything we need to get our need met. But like this widow, we must be willing to take what we do have and give it to the Lord! Today you may be blinded by despair, your heart is broken, your dreams are shattered & your hopes have been crushed. You look at your situation and it seems that you have no hope! Your provisions and possessions may seem small. Maybe at this point your FAITH IS SMALL...You feel that you have nothing to offer....Yet, the Lord is asking what do you have??? Friend, whatever you have …GIVE IT TO THE LORD!! When you give what you have to the Lord, you will find that “Little is much when God is in it”
I am sure that this widow looked at this little pot of oil and asked “what good is this going to do” Though she didn’t understand she was willing to trust him. Friend, when you are in the midst of despair you may not understand what God is doing but you must TRUST HIM ANYWAY!! When in despair we must Turn to the Lord, Talk to the Lord, & finally we see that we must:
III. TRUST IN THE LORD- v5 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. 6 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.
This precious lady, who was in this moment of despair willingly, did what the man of God told her to do. Remember, Despair means hopelessness. This lady was hopeless, she was at the end of her rope, and she was at rock bottom. She was at a point where she was just looking for a glimmer of hope. Elisha gives her some strange instructions to follow. I wonder is she may have scratched her head when Elisha told her to “Borrow as many empty vessels as you can from your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your pot into the vessels”. She did not delay or procrastinate....She did not ask any questions... She simply followed the instructions she had been given.
So she went from him, Shut the door, Her sons brought the vessels to her, She poured the oil into the vessels and look at what happened - V6 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.
She went and told Elisha what happened, he then says “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt” - There was her answer.God provided an increase because she was willing to give what she had. She was able to take that increase and profit from it. She then paid off the debtors and no longer had to worry about her sons being taken into slavery. Notice this; She did not just get enough to get caught up with the creditors… SHE GOT ENOUGH TO PAY THE BILL IN FULL!!! All of this happened because though in despair, this lady went to the right place, talked to the right person and followed his instructions!
Friend, for whatever reason… today you may be in despair. Can I encourage you to do three things?
i. Turn To The Lord!
ii. Talk To The Lord!
iii. Trust In The Lord!
Your situation may not change exactly when you want it to, but if you will do these 3 things the lord will be with you and you can handle your troubles with God’s Grace! And when the time is right and the lessons are learned and God’s current work in you is complete then you will be delivered from that trouble. But do not forget t hat God may have you where you are, facing what you are facing for a reason!
1 Peter 4:12 ¶Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Through it all, God has a plan.
Though it all we MUST REMIAN FAITHFUL.
Through it all GOD WILL PROVIDE!!
I want to leave you with some encourage that is found in verse 7. This lady was able to pay her debts, get out from under the oppression of her debtors, and her sons were no longer facing slavery. But we also see that there was some money left over after selling the oil. Elisha told her to take the rest and use it for her and her sons to live on! - v7 “Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest”.
You may be in a time of utter despair. You have hit rock bottom and you don’t know where to turn. Whether you know it or not, you are in the best place you can be. You are in a place where you realize family, friends, and acquaintances cannot help you. You realize that you cannot fix your problem on your own. I encourage you to Turn to Jesus, Talk to Jesus and trust in Jesus. He is your Savior and friend and He desires to help you in your moment of despair.
Maybe you are here and you are not a child of God. You are in the worst place of all. You can experience the greatest deliverance of all time. You can be saved from your sins and delivered from an eternity in a lake of fire. You say “How is that possible?”
1) Turn To Jesus
2) Talk To Jesus
3) Trust in Jesus
The Bible says in - Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. - I urge you to do that today! It is only through Jesus that we can properly “Deal With Despair”
