The Lord woke me up at 6am this Christmas morning to give me the following word. I pray He will use it to remind you that His hand is most definitely moving amidst your circumstances. As we embark upon a brand new year, I desire so much to see the hand of God at work in my circumstances - I desperately need to feel His presence. And I believe you do too ...
Context: 1 Kings 17:1-24
In 1 Kings 17: 2-4, Elijah is called by God to leave where he's at: "Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 'Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.'"
Point #1: Where He calls, He will also provide.
He gives us a vision. In 1 Kings 17:2-4, noted above, God calls Elijah to a specific task and He gives him just enough information to let him know that He is handling the details. He does not map out the entire journey or purpose for Elijah, but He does provide him with enough information to step out in faith.
He gives us the essentials. When he calls us to something specific, God already has every essential covered. He knows what we need in advance, even before we do. It is our responsibility to trust Him, to be obedient, and to walk by faith.
Point #2: Where we see nothings, He sees somethings.
He works out of the unlikely. In 1 Kings 17:7-11, God calls Elijah to go into town and there, he will meet a widow who will provide him with food. Elijah obeys the orders only to hear the following response from the woman: "As surely as the LORD your God lives ... I don't have any bread - only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug ..." (1 Kings 17:12a). She has a bunch of nothings to share with Elijah. Our imperfections, insecurities, failures, etc. - These all fall into this nothings category. These things trap us into thinking that God could never use us, or use our circumstances, for His purposes.
He works our fear into faith. What does God do with the nearly empty cistern of flour and jug of oil? "For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah" (1 Kings 17:16). The flour and the oil went from nearly empty, to an overflowing excess - How? Because our God of great reversals got a hold of it. Those things in our lives that fear us - that we think that God could never use in a million years - are the exact things He will use if we allow Him. Just as he multiplied her flour and oil, when He has a plan to fulfill, He will do what He has to in order to get it accomplished. He wants to take our nothings ... and turn them into somethings.
Point #3: Where He positions, He also purposes.
He assures His plan through opportunity. God placed Elijah in this widow's life for a purpose. 1 Kings 17:17-18 shares with us that the woman's son becomes very sick and dies. The woman calls to Elijah in despair. 1 Kings 17:21 says, "Then [Elijah] stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, 'O Lord my God, let this boy's life return to him!'" Don't you think it would have made more logical sense for God to take Elijah to someones home who would have already had enough flour and oil for food - who would not have been starving to death? Maybe someone who could have offered a bit more of a hospitable environment? Not when God wanted to line an opportunity up. He knows when someone needs to experience His touch. He does not position us in certain circumstances by chance - He has great purpose in His positioning.
He assures His plan through His presence. We know when God is at work, when no other explanation makes sense. Those things in our lives that happen that we just "don't get," take another look, sister - That is the hand of God. You probably know how the story in 1 Kings 17 ends: "The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him" (1 Kings 17:22). The woman now knows that God only could have raised her son back to life: "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth." God showed up. We know when we are accomplishing His purposes, when He shows up - When we experience His presence, and know in our heart of hearts that we could not have had that kind of success on our own.
Lord, Please make Yourself known in our current circumstances. We trust You to lead the way. Help us to step out in faith, and do what You have called us to do, knowing that You will provide the details. We give you our nothings, and ask that You will make them somethings. Help us to recognize that we are positioned in specific places, in certain circumstances, not by chance, but by purpose. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment