I want you to see from this portion how I worked through My servant Elisha to meet the need of these two women. You see actually there were three miracles that I worked through My servant, one for the widow and two for the woman of Shunem. For their part, you can see that both women had a great deal of desperation and a certain amount of faith. I have already told you that in coming to My servant Elisha, they both recognized that they were coming to Me. You may ask why did they not come directly to Me in behalf of their own need? But I would remind you that they lived in a day when My Spirit worked through intermediaries, priests and prophets and later on from time to time through kings. So these women recognized that I worked through Elisha who had received the mantle through Elijah. Also I want you to see that in both cases something was required of the women in the meeting of their need. The widow had to believe the words and follow the directions of Elisha, of securing the jars and pouring the oil. The Shunamite had to travel speedily to where the prophet was to secure his help. And I want you to see that there was a process involved in each miracle that took time. The widow and her sons had to secure jars and pour the oil. The Shunamite had to wait a year for the birth of her son. And in raising him Elisha had to pray and lay upon him twice. And I have already spoken to you about the fact that both of these miracles were done behind closed doors in obscurity. Now what would I have you to understand from all of this? There are many lessons that could be drawn, but I want you first of all to recognize My compassion, My mercy, My condescension in meeting the needs of these two women. Though they had great desperation in the face of their need, they also had enough faith to come to Me through the man of God. See how very willing I am to meet the needs of those who though desperate have a little faith and are willing to come to Me. See how that little faith enabled them to seek a man of God and how it enabled them to obey his word. See how that little faith carried them through a process that required action on their part and a willingness to engage in something that took time. I want you to understand from this My willingness to bless and to help those who have great needs, strong desperation and a little faith. I want you to understand that I am willing to condescend to the weakness and the limitations of such people. And in these days, even though I am calling people to come directly to Me through My Son, yet more often than you know and can observe, I am reaching out and meeting the needs of those who have to come to Me without truly knowing Me through My Son. This may puzzle you, but understand that just as I showed mercy to these two women whose desperation was great and whose faith was limited, so am I willing to do the same today. Be ready to understand this and be willing to be a vessel through whom I can work in the lives of such people.
Posts Tagged ‘Faith’
What do you think would have happened if Saul and Jonathon had sat down to analyze their situation and to determine what would be the best course of action in the face of the circumstances? For it declares here that after they had sent many of the men home and others had deserted out of fear, that there were about six hundred to face the Philistines. And it declares that just the Philistine charioteers alone were ten times that many. Would it not have seemed prudent with the odds so greatly against them to have disbanded the army and given up the battle? But you see that Jonathon clearly had it in mind and heart that I would do something to deliver My people. And as he observed the situation, notice how faith filled his heart and with it the courage to act in a seemingly limited way. See how he grasped that I could save whether I used many or a few. This was not a conclusion from human analysis and reason. And you see that his armor bearer also received faith and courage to go with Jonathon. Human reckoning would have judged this a reckless effort that had little or no chance for success. But faith was not considering a mere human effort, but what I would do. Faith caused Jonathon to look to Me even though he and his armor bearer would make an effort. Neither one of them had any conception of what would become of their effort of faith, except they were confident that I would give their enemies into their hands. But you see that as I gave them success, it was like a rock that came loose and falling down the mountain began an avalanche so that their small effort became the catalyst by which I turned the impossible odds against them and gave them a great victory. But you will notice that it was not a victory merely credited to Jonathon and his armor bearer, nor even to the small company that fought with Saul. But in truth it was clearly My victory. Here you have a clear picture of how genuine faith operates even in the face of impossible odds. Here you have a picture of how I can use the faith of a few to work a mighty work even though by human reckoning it would seem impossible? Remember the declaration of My servant Jonathon, “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving whether by many or by few”. Do not judge the possibilities of victory or defeat by numbers or by other natural circumstances, for when I am in a situation, these natural considerations are not to be considered as what determines the outcome. If indeed you carry in your hearts the same perspective as Jonathon carried, you also will be able to consider the most impossible situation with faith and, like Jonathon, your faith can inspire others and the seeming little bit that you are able to do may be taken by Me and in My hands it can be made the stimulus to something much greater than you could even have thought..
Tags: Faith, God Confident
I have spoken often to you about trials. The natural man considers trials the most unacceptable aspect of life, that which if at all possible is to be avoided, that which is a mystery, that which at best is merely to be endured. But I want to speak to you today from this portion to show you how valuable trial really is, because it is related to faith. This means that it has a genuine and exceedingly valuable purpose. It is by faith that you are able to receive and to continually lay hold of your eternal inheritance in My Son. It declares here that this inheritance is kept in heaven for you, therefore it must be by faith that you possess it. It also declares that it is through faith that you are shielded, that is protected and kept by My power until the day when your salvation is fully revealed.
Now it may seem to you a contradiction when it declares on the one hand that through faith you are shielded by My power and then the very next words it declares that you are to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. But it goes on to declare that these trials have a very great purpose that is the refining of your faith. For you must understand that faith is a living thing. It is not static. It grows, it matures. It is strengthened and the goal of your faith is the salvation of your souls, as it declares here.
This does not mean merely going to heaven and escaping from hell. It involves the transformation of your life from what you are like apart from My Son, into more and more what you are like as you are conformed to His image. The goal of your faith which is called here the salvation of your souls is also expressed in the words, “Be holy in all you do, for I am holy”. Therefore the refining of your faith is absolutely necessary in order for you to grow into holiness, in order for you to be more like My Son. And as you truly submit to Me in your hearts, then in the midst of your trials, you will be able to rejoice because you will know the wonderful goals that those trials are accomplishing. And as you possess in your hearts that goal, you truly will experience what it means to be kept or shielded by faith. When you consider that this life, this inheritance that is imperishable and kept for you in heaven has been secured through the death, the resurrection and the glorification of My Son, then it will be possible for you to glory and rejoice in your sufferings and trials, because by faith you will be able clearly to see that nothing that you really possess is being harmed or taken from you, whether it is possessions on the earth, or people, or even your own physical life. For that which is imperishable will be more real to you and more treasured in your hearts than anything else. And when you truly come to this place in your hearts, it will be established that your faith and your hope are in Me.