FAITH & PROVISION

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The wife of a man from a group of the prophets came to Elisha. She said, “Your servant, my husband, is dead! You know he honored the Lord. But now the man he owes money to is coming to take my two boys. He will make them his slaves!” Elisha answered, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” The woman said, “I don’t have anything there except a pot of oil.” Then Elisha said, “Go and get empty jars from all your neighbors. Don’t ask for just a few. Then you must go into your house and close the door. Only you and your sons will be there. Then pour oil into all the jars. Set the full ones to one side.” She left Elisha and shut the door. Only she and her sons were in the house. As they brought the jars to her, she poured the oil. When the jars were all full, she said to her son, “Bring me another jar.” But he said, “There are no more jars.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told Elisha. Elisha said to her, “Go. Sell the oil and pay what you owe. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

2 Kings 4:1-7 (ICB)

God does His greatest work in our lives in the midst of situations that appear to have no hope or reasonable solution for breakthrough. One of the clues that a divine opportunity for God’s supernatural provision is about to happen, are a set of circumstances in which our human hands and natural ability has severe limitations.

In this passage of scripture, we see a widow who was facing a very difficult and desperate situation. The instructions she received from the man of God, Elisha, seemed odd and didn’t make any sense. There was nothing logical about it. She had very little resources. The direction she was given, to use the little she had left, could have appeared to be insensitive and offensive. Doubt and fear may have tried to enter into her mind and heart. And to add to it, she was also advised to go and borrow vessels from all of her neighbors. She may have entertained feelings of shame and embarrassment at the thought of carrying out that direction… as if things weren’t already uncomfortable enough.

Despite any of those potential feelings or thoughts, the widow stepped up in her FAITH and stepped out in OBEDIENCE to do what she was told. She carried out the instructions as it was given. And she even took the extra step of obedience to “…shut the door.” This is a great example of shutting out the distractions and potential voices of others who could affect or contaminate her faith in the midst of her process for breakthrough. When she did, not only were her immediate needs able to be met, but she also had extra supply to continue to take care of herself and her sons. God supernaturally supplied the PROVISION. He multiplied the little in her hands to become more than enough. But she wouldn’t have received that, if she didn’t apply her FAITH.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Walking in FAITH requires us to TRUST GOD knowing confidently that HE WILL PROVIDE the answer and supply what we need. It may not show up in a way that we understand or can make sense of in our mind. It may not show up in the timeframe that we reason in our thinking we prefer to see it take place. The process that we have to go through on the way to receiving the provision may be extremely uncomfortable. But if we are willing to honor God’s direction and obey what He guides us to do, we will see and receive the provision we are seeking, above and beyond what we could dare ask or think and in His perfect timing. (Charli Abihai)

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“I live free and fearlessly because I place my complete faith (confident trust and reliance) on God and His Word. His supernatural provision flows abundantly in my life.”

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

    • Old Testament: Deuteronomy 33-34; Psalms 71
    • New Testament: Matthew 28:11-20; Romans 16

FAITH & PROVISION