There is nothing impossible for God.
2 King 4:1-7
We all are familiar with this chapter. In this chapter we can see two women. One poor widow, another Rich women. Both are in a problems, which cannot be solved by themselves and the Prophet Elisha solved their respective problems. This is the content of this chapter. We all have one or other problems in our life. Problems which cannot be solved by ourselves. In this world, there are so many people, who have problems which cannot be solved by themselves. But these womens are so lucky that, they have one prophet, to whom they can approach, and the prophet solved their problems. Let us praise God because, here, one prophet is present, Jesus who is greater than Elisha, who can solve our problems. Yes, Jesus is present here to solve our problem.
Let us look at the Rich women. You know how she come in contact with the Prophet Elisha. Her son died. See what she did. She never informed the same to her husband. She never wept with sorrow on the loss of her son. She did not inform the same to her servants. She just kept here son in the room, which was made for the prophet Elisha. Shut the door and went to the prophet. She never informed the case to anyone. When Elisha saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, “Look there’s the Shunammite! Run to meet her and ask her Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?. All these questions were asked by Gehazi. Everything is all right. she said. She never said that her son has passed away. She said Everything is alright. Yes, with the faith she is saying her son is alright. Because she knows that, she has come to a prophet, who can make her son well. She is uttering the words of her faith. Even though we have problems, when we come in the presence of Jesus, we must say, everything is all right. Words of faith.
To whom are we going with our problems, which cannot be solved by ourselves. When we go to Jesus, with our problems, first we should understand to whom we are going and then, we should pronounce the words of faith. I am all right. Even if you are not feeling well, say I am all right. Tell the person next to you, I am all right.
Let us look at the other women. She is a widow now. She was dreaming a better future in her youth. When she got married with a Young disciple of Elisha, the great prophet, she thought her dreams come true. She thought, one day her husband will become a great prophet like Elisha. She may be dreaming for a better future. But suddenly the situation got changed. Her husband passed away. Now she put her hope on her children. She thought that her children will grow up and will become a good prophet, or they will excel in their carrier. But when the banker came with his men to catch her two sons, all her hope and expectations came to an end. Like a small glass dish, which fell down and broken, her dreams and hope were broken to pieces. If you are in the state of this women, please come to Jesus with that broken pieces of your hope/dream. Yes Jesus will rebuild your pieces in to a new beautiful vessel. Yes Jesus is here to rebuild your dreams. Come to Him.
Form the words of this widow we understand that her husband was a spiritual man. Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves." Husband of this widow, the disciple of Elisha, was a spiritual man. There is no relation with spirituality and Richness. A spiritual man can die without wealth. What is the great wealth a man can leave behind before his death. Is it a Big Bank balance? Property? A Business with good return? No The greatest wealth a man can leave behind for his children is the testimony about him that he lead a righteous life. (It may be against todays belief. ) This is the time of prosperity theology. But here we can see the righteous man died as a poor man. But David says that “ I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” Ps. 37.25 Yes it is the promise to the righteous. May be some of us enjoying these good things in our life, just because of our righteous parents. The greatest wealth we can left behind for our children is the testimony about ourselves that we lead a righteous life. So that our children wont be begging for their food.
In the same Bible college, there is another student we can see. His name is Gehazi. He was the classmate of the husband of the widow. We don’t know how he was in his studies. But he is very good in making money. He was the one who take the rode of Elisha and placed on the face of first women’s son. But nothing happened. May be that women knows about him that is why she did not leave Elisha till he agree to come with her. He knows the ways to make money. He went to Naaman and managed to get some money & cloths for himself. He may thought that, after the ministry, it can be used for his descendants. He couldn’t foresee any investment he had made for his perfect retirement from the ministry. He don’t have any savings which can be useful for his children. See the words of Elisha. Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants for ever. He earned a little money as well as great sufferings for the entire clan. If you are earning money in an unrighteous manner, better know that you are earning sufferings for your children. Leprosy filled in the house of unrighteous Gehazi. But Oil filled and flow from the house of righteous disciple, husband of the widow. Blessings is the fruits of righteousness. The greatest wealth we may left behind for our children is the blessings of a righteous life.
See the words of the widow: "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. We can understand that this man holds a good testimony in his private and public life. He was righteous in his ministry and in his home. Some of us have good testimony about our public life. Are we leading a good life in our home. Are we leading a righteous life in our public life.
Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" Till this time she was telling about the things, that were not in her life. Husband is no more. There is no one out there to help us. There is no bank balance, Now the Banker has come to take the children, to whom she put her last hope.
There is list of thins which are not in her life. Some of us are like this. When we stand to tell the testimony, we start with the things that are not in our life. A long list. Till you stop telling others about the long list of things which are not in your life, you are not going to prosper.
Here the prophet asking her “Tell me, what do you have in your house? Stop the list of things that are not in your life. Stop it. And tell me what you have in your house? There must be something left in your house. Tell me about it. In that God can do miracle. Please give thanks for the things which are in your life. God will bless you with that things. Give thanks for your beautiful wife, beautiful kids, material possessions, beautiful vehicle, beautiful house, nice cloths, and the good health. Tell God what you have, in them God will bless you. My philosophy is that, whatever I need, God has given in my life. Those things which are not with me now may not be required by me now. When the right time come, God will provide me with that things. We can live in this world happily with this philosophy. Otherwise we can live in this world through out our life with grumbling.
To the elders I have one question? What are the things which you have now but was not with you 25 years ago. Can you realize what are the things you have now which were not with you 10 years. Please raise your hand, if you possess something, which were not with you 5 years ago.
God has given you two healthy legs, Give thanks for them. He has given you two eyes to see. Give thanks for them. He has given you two ears to listen. Give thanks for them. Give thanks to God for the health he has given you. Count the things that are given in your life and give thanks for them. God will bless you in those things. He has given you Happiness in your present life, peace in your present life and a better hope for your future through the Crucified Jesus.
This is the kingdom philosophy
Mathew 25: 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
God will bless those people who give thanks for the things they enjoy as well as God will withdraw the thins from them those who grumble.
See Naomi. She has everything she needed. Because of a famine in Bethlehem, she grumbled and left for Moab. In Moab she lost her husband and two sons. When she returned, she told her neighbors that
20 "Don’t call me Naomi, [b] " she told them. "Call me Mara, [c] because the Almighty [d] has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted [e] me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me."
When she lost her husband and children, she understand that she was full. When we loose something, we will understand the value of it. When we have many things we do not understand the value of it. It is better to understand the value of things that are provided by God well in advance and give thanks to God for the same than to loose it.
At last she identified that there is little oil left in her house.
Prophet told here to borrow some Jars from her neighbors. She already had a bad experience in borrowing. The prophet again asking her to borrow. Borrow some more jars. It was quiet unacceptable for her brain. God will ask us to do some strange things in certain circumstances. It may be beyond our expectations and understandings. Latter we will come to know, why God has ordered to do those things, but now it may be beyond our understanding and expectations. In different circumstances God will ask us to go somewhere, or do something. When we obey, we will get the blessings out of it. Then we will understand the purpose of God in it.
Neighbors asked her, why are you borrowing jars? She don’t have any answer for their questions. Yes, some times we don’t have any answer for some certain questions. Occasionally, we may face this kind of situation. We must obey his commandments without raising any questions. After some days she went to her same neighbors. Now she has some answer for their questions. She said “ God did miracle in these empty Jars.” God filled these empty jars with Oil” If you are willing to obey God without raising any questions, God will bless you. You will see miracles by your own eyes. Miracles will happen by your own hands. There is no need of a prophet to do the miracles.
Widow with her children entered the room and shut the doors. They prayed together. Kept poring oil into the empty jars. What a miracle. With her own hands, in the presence of her children. No pastor or prophet is present inside the room. Behind the closed doors the widow and her children praying together. If the prophet go to the widow’s house and pray inside a closed room, then the neighbors will have some thing to tell each other and laugh at them. Now a days the concept is quiet different. Prophets and pastors are hired for praying for the deliverance of the family. The hired pastors and prophets will take the money and go on their way. You will not get deliverance. One day a pastor met his colleague in the head office of their ministry. The pastor already know that his colleague is in a fasting prayer for 21 days. The pastor asked his colleague Are you not in Fasting prayer? Is it over.? His colleague replied Yes, I am in fasting, it is not yet over. I have arranged another person to sit in my house and pray. He is continuing. Some of us are like this. We give contracts for fasting prayer. We don’t have time to pray. Somebody else will pray for us. If you need deliverance, you must pray. Do not appoint a prophet to pray for you. You and your children must sit together and pray. If you pray with your children, no one will take your children away from you. Miracle had been done by the hand of the widow. Miracles of your family should be done by you.
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
Miracles are being done by those who believe in Jesus. When He does miracles, oil was flowing and there was no lack of flow, there is lack of Jar. The flow of Oil stop after her son told her that there is no jar left.
If you approach a human being, he may able to cover your debt. Here He has done more than that required.
7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left."
Here God has not only given for pay her debts, but also for her future life. What a Great God we have.
He has given more than she asked and desired. God is ready to fill you even now, with more than you ask or desire. Place yourself in the feet of him who can fill you. Let us close our eyes and pray to Lord to fill us. Tell Him your emptiness. What ever is your problem, Grater than Elisha is here. He will change the impossible possible.
May God bless you.
