But I have NOTHING

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What are God’s ways?

Think about this for a few moments: What are men like when they are hungry? How about a baby when the appointed dinner hour has arrived and passed? What are you like when you are hungry? Remember the story when Jesus slipped away by boat to an out-of-the-way place so that he could be by himself. But he wasn’t so successful, was he? When the word got around where he was, a lot of people from the nearby villages walked around the lake to where he was. However, when Jesus saw them coming, he did not run and hide, INSTEAD, he was overcome with pity and then he healed all the sick people. As most of you know, it was a full day, an emotional day – a day of miracles, and a day of fulfilling work. And toward evening the disciples came to Jesus and pointed out to him the closing of the day. It would soon be dark so they said, "We're out in the country and it's getting late. Dismiss the people so they can go to the villages and get some supper." But Jesus said, "There is no need to dismiss them. You give them supper." Puzzled, right? What could they do? Hmmmmmm….. Well, the hour is getting late, so better hurry – they start out with the first man, the second, the third…….two hundred and fifty three, …… “Do you have anything to eat?”…… “Do you have any food with you?” …… one thousand seven hundred and one – “Any food to share?” ……. “Do you have any food with you?” ….. No…….No………No…………….No………………….two thousand, three thousand, four thousand………. Okay Jesus, they may have been thinking – we’ve got nothing………………… four thousand five hundred and sixty –seven,…………..No………No…………..No……………No………………four thousand nine hundred-ninety-nine …………….still, “No.” Five thousand……..and the answer is No. Heads hung low – and still nothing – until it all changes. A boy comes forward with a lunch – maybe he went around to the moms and asked them – because isn’t it usually Mom who packs the lunch – at least in Jesus day!? The disciples go to Jesus and say, "All we have are five loaves of bread and two fish." And Jesus answers, "PERFECT! Bring them here." *** Do you remember how little David was – just a small boy, and the people all questioned, “David, who is he?!” “Goliath – he is so big!” Surely a little guy like David will need Saul’s protective armour! But David could not move with it on because he wasn’t used to it – so he refused to wear it. Do you remember what he had – a Sling Shot! Goliath thought he was a joke and teased about thinking that David thought him a dog! David had one small sling shot and used one small stone to drop Goliath. In First Samuel 17:47 David says, “The battle is the Lord’s……” Whatever YOU are going through, whatever battle – this time of desperate need remember the words from our Psalm: “God is most near to those who have a broken heart.” I. God needs only what we have. …..but I have nothing….. Jesus says, “PERFECT!” What do YOU have? Ø A Bible: The Word of God. Isaiah says that “no weapon that rises up against me shall prosper. Ø A Friend: someone to pray with you. A friend, an elder a family member, a source of counsel, or a minister or pastor. Ø A Source of Income: Apparently there is only one place in the Bible where God says, “Test me.” And this passage in Malachi 3:10 is an example of the faithfulness of God. 10Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. 11I will rebuke the locust* for you, so that it will not destroy the produce of your soil; and your vine in the field shall not be barren, says the Lord of hosts. 12Then all nations will count you happy, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. ………God needs only what we have. Secondly, II. God does only what we can’t. Looking at Second Kings, we read about the woman whose husband had died, yet he was a faithful servant of the Lord, comes to Elisha for help because there is debt left that must be paid to his creditors. The woman describes her situation and implies that since she has NO money, the creditor has come to take her two children as slaves.’ Have you ever found yourself in this kind of predicament? Loss comes into your life – whether through death, or an emergency and you need to pay out a lot of money to repair your roof of a leak that could ruin – or in this case, or comparison’s sake - take away the contents of your entire house? How about a sudden car accident – a family member hits a deer or smashes up the car – and now – no wheels…. Or the furnace breaks and you need to replace it. The appliances all kick the bucket in a matter of three weeks – and now, you have nothing – no washer, no dryer, no stove, no fridge, no dish washer, …. Nothing – and no money – possibly no job … possibly a fixed income …. And you go to a wise person of counsel, a person of faith, like the woman in our story when she approaches Elisha. Your Elisha says to you, ‘What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?’ And you answer, ‘Your servant has nothing in the house, except a jar of oil.’ The person of Faith says, ‘Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbours, empty vessels and not just a few. 4Then go in, and shut the door behind you and your children, and start pouring into all these vessels; when each is full, set it aside.’ Notice that the first thing required of the woman in our story is that she is sent to do something for herself. God encourages us to do what she is able to do herself – God does not have Elisha do her work for her. She must take the initiative, and God encourages her to use the resources that she has – even though she says, “but I have nothing. The woman is sent from door to door to “ask” for jars. God is saying in following these instructions: “Do it – and – trust me.” God wanted her to go out and take some action herself. Yet, how many times do we try SO hard to do too much. God does only what we can’t. It can be hard to know when we’re trying too hard to do too much. So how do we know when we are doing too much? Here are four ways to know that you are trying too hard to do too much: I am pressing in a way when the people around me are scratching their heads. A second way is when I feel tired and spent rather than filled with peace and contentment. A third way of knowing when I am trying too hard is when I hear myself praying how and when prayers “WHAT” prayers. Remember that God knows what we need. and finally, we can lose our JOY over ONE THING and we fail to be thankful for all of the rest of the blessings in our life! God does ONLY what we can’t. *** Finally, III. God fills only what we bring for Him to fill. So you leave and shut the door behind you and your family. Then, your family keeps bringing vessels to you, and you keep on pouring the oil. When the vessels are full, you say once again to your child, ‘Bring me another vessel.’ But your child says, ‘There are no more.’ Then the oil stops flowing. There were no more vessels so the oil stopped flowing. When we stop bringing our vessels – our hearts - before God; God stops filling us. God keeps giving himself as long as we keep bringing ourselves and that in which God can keep pouring himself. The Bible says, "You have not because you ask not." God fills only what we bring for Him to fill. *** When the woman returned to her spiritual advisor, Elisha, she tells him the news that the oil has stopped flowing. What empty place are you holding up to God to fill up for you? We come to places in our lives when we are hurting and in desperation. For example, if you are single – you might be empty and worn out from looking for someone to fill your void. Or maybe you are having problems in your marriage, at work, with your finances or in your work. Sometimes it is easiest not to care anymore. But God knows that we all face times of desperate needs and defeat – and God teaches us about how he works. God is working even when we don’t see. Even when we don’t know, God is working. Even when we don’t understand, God is working. OIL in the Bible refers to the HOLY SPIRIT – Exodus 29:7; Acts 10:37 and Luke 4:18. The VESSEL is our heart; your heart. When the woman goes back to Elisha, just like you, when you go to your Spiritual advisor encouraging your to, ‘Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your children can live on the rest.’ *** God wants us to get on our knees and hold up our empty places before him in prayer. We all face times of desperate need and defeat. The Lord wants us to keep coming to him and asking him to keep filling us up. What is the empty place in your life that you should hold up to God? What is the point of desperate need that you have stopped caring about? What is it? Can you find it? Are you struggling with a friend or a family member who needs to know Christ? Are you longing for a relationship with someone from the past, or someone new, which seems callous or simply disregards any thought of being close to you? Have you built a divide between you and the people in your life? Bring it to the Lord today. Pray: Lord God, meet me in this place of need in my life, bring me to a crisis Lord, so I can lay down my emptiness for you to fill with your Holy Spirit. I stopped caring about this Lord. I stopped caring. I stopped believing that you could do anything about it Lord. Lord each one of us here holds up an empty place in our lives, this place of discouragement, this place of defeat. Honestly God, it’s like this and it feels like this, this is where I am at and this is what I need. God knows your needs; and each person’s needs. “But I have nothing….” You say – and God answers, “Perfect, I’ll use it!” God needs only what we have. “But I have nothing….” You say – and God answers, “when you are willing.” God does only what we can’t. “But I have nothing….” You say – and God answers, “when you are empty, I will fill you up – just ask.” God fills only what we bring for Him to fill. *** Lord, I bring my empty place to you, I bring my empty heart to you, and I seek your oil, your Holy Spirit to fill me up to overflowing. Through Christ I pray. Amen.