2 KINGS 4:1-7

BIG IDEA: 

WHERE YOU SEE A PROBLEM, GOD SEES A POSSIBILITY.

INTRODUCTION: Problems.

Problems come in all shapes and sizes. There are financial, relational, and health problems. There are constrained, ambiguous, and predictable problems. There are known unknowns, and there are unknown unknowns. There are political, technical, and strategic problems. There is no shortage of problems.

When you have a problem, you have a few choices. You can:

• Ignore the problem.
• Deny the existence of the problem.
• Run to escape from the problem.
• Seek to rationalize the problem.
• Blame someone else for the problem.
• Let God solve the problem.

You see, problems are a platform upon which God does great work. As George Mueller wrote, “Faith begins where man’s power ends.” Therefore, if you have a problem, it is an opportunity for you to exercise faith believing that God has the problem to do what you are unable to do .

As we continue our walk through 2 Kings, today we will see that God Recognizes our Problems, God reminds of our Potential, and then God Releases His Provision.

EXPLANATION: WHERE YOU SEE A PROBLEM, GOD SEES A POSSIBILITY.

1. GOD RECOGNIZES OUR PROBLEMS.

NOW THE WIFE OF ONE OF THE SONS OF THE PROPHETS CRIED OUT TO ELISHA, “YOUR SERVANT MY HUSBAND IS DEAD, AND YOU KNOW THAT YOUR SERVANT FEARED THE LORD, BUT THE CREDITOR HAS COME TO TAKE MY TWO CHILDREN TO BE HIS SLAVES.” 2 KINGS 4:1

This wife had some problems!

There was despair. Notice please that this woman cried out to Elisha. This Hebrew word means, “to shriek out loud because of grief.” She was hurting. The problems that we face are experienced on the outside, but they hurt on the inside. I have encountered so many people this year that are grieving.

Grief is a normal response to a loss of something or someone, or a trauma that has robbed the individual of safety, security, or significance. There is a really important word in this definition. NORMAL.

Grief is normal. Grief is a natural response to loss or trauma. Grief is necessary, because  it provides a healthy way to recover safety, security, and significance. Grief hurts. But it is normal, natural, and necessary. Let yourself grieve. When you are grieving, you may feel dazed, confused, disoriented, lost, or paralyzed. Listen to me, if you are feeling any of these things, you are not crazy. You are normal. I think this is exactly where this woman in our story was. She was dazed, confused, disoriented, lost, and paralyzed. But she made an important decision. She let the grief out. She didn’t keep the grief in. She cried out.

There was death. Here is the loss that this woman had experienced. Here husband was dead. She was a widow. As Henri Nouwen wrote, “When we lose someone we have loved deeply, we are left with a grief that can paralyze us emotionally…When they die a part of us dies too.” That is how she must have felt. Her partner had died. Her provider had died. Her protector had died. She was robbed of her safety, her security, and her significance. 

There was debt. Her provider was gone, and now the creditors were knocking on her door. To pay a debt that she could not pay, the creditors were planning to take away her two children as slaves. How horrifying! She had lost her husband, she was about to lose her children, and she was probably losing her mind!

After my father passed last year, Pastor Ken gave me a little book “A Time to Grieve,” by Kenneth Haugk. In the book there are some myths about grief. I found comfort in reading these words. Maybe you will too. Here are some myths about grief:

• People with a strong faith don’t grieve.
• A strong person should be able to get through the loss without showing emotion.
• You should be pretty much back to normal after two or three months.
• If you experience intense feelings, you’re losing control of yourself.
• A strong person should be able to deal with grief alone.
• Grief proceeds through very predictable and orderly stages.

These things aren’t true. People with strong faith do grieve, and we need others to help us through the process no matter how long it takes and no matter how windy the road!

The worst part of grief is not feeling like you are alone in the world, in my opinion. The worst part of grief is feeling like God doesn’t know or care. Notice what the woman says,

AND YOU KNOW THAT YOUR SERVANT FEARED THE LORD. (2 KINGS 4:1)

It is almost like she is saying, “My husband feared God, but look at where that has gotten us. He is gone, and I don’t even know if God cares!” My friends, may I remind you that when His dear friend Lazarus died, “Jesus wept.” You have a Savior who can identify with your hurt. Since Jesus was deeply distressed, it is okay for you to be deeply distressed, but in your distress, do forget Jesus, for He has not forgotten you! CRY OUT. It’s okay! God can handle whatever you are dishing out. Shout. Scream, if you must. God is strong enough to deal with your hurt.

If we were to stop the story right here, it would lead one to believe that God doesn’t care. But the story doesn’t end with the problem. The problem is just a platform for God to bring about a provision. Your story doesn’t end with your loss or trauma either. Even if you feel completely disoriented and dazed, know this fact: God will deliver you.

2. GOD REMINDS US OF OUR POTENTIAL

AND ELISHA SAID TO HER, “WHAT SHALL I DO FOR YOU?” (2 KINGS 4:2)

It sounds like a crass question on the surface. “You are despairing, you have experienced death, you have insurmountable debt… what do you want me to do about it?” But that’s not the point of Elisha’s reply! Elisha’s response is not calloused or casual, rather it is compassionate. “What can I do to help you in your hurt.” Just a brief pause… when someone is grieving what they need more than casseroles, cards, cakes, or candy, is simply a compassionate presence. When your world has been turned upside down, what you really need is an empathetic individual to walk the way of pain with you. “I know you are hurting, but I am here for you, no matter how deep the hurt, or how long the hurt lasts. I will walk the way of pain with you.”

“TELL ME: WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN THE HOUSE?” (2 KINGS 4:2)

Here, God is using Elisha to remind the woman of her potential. Your husband is gone, your treasure is gone, your safety is gone, your security is gone, your significance is gone, but you still have something don’t you?” Listen… even when it feels like you have lost everything, there is always something, and even the smallest thing in the hands of God is a big thing! 

“YOUR SERVANT HAS NOTHING IN THE HOUSE EXCEPT A JAR OF OIL.” (2 KINGS 4:2)

You may not have all the resources that you want, but God has given you all the resources you need. The question is, will you retain those possessions, or will you release those possessions. You will only realize what you truly have when you truly place it in the hands of God. 

THEN HE SAID, “GO OUTSIDE, BORROW VESSELS AND NOT TOO FEW. THEN GO IN AND SHUT THE DOOR BEHIND YOURSELF AND YOUR SONS AND POUR INTO ALL THESE VESSELS. AND WHEN ONE IS FULL, SET IT ASIDE.”

Here is the exercise and extension of faith. Faith grows in the gap between your problem and your God-given potential. Focus on the problem, and you will never grow. Focus on your God-given potential and you will grow. Problems will stretch you, or they will stretch your faith. Neither is comfortable, but only one is beneficial. Your problems will either break you down, or they will build your faith. Let your faith grow on the fertile soil of your problems, because God is bigger than anything problem you will ever face.

3. GOD RELEASES OUR PROVISION

SO SHE WENT FROM HIM AND SHUT THE DOOR BEHIND HERSELF AND HER SONS. AND AS SHE POURED THEY BROUGHT THE VESSELS TO HER. WHEN THE VESSELS WERE FULL, SHE SAID TO HER SON, “BRING ME ANOTHER VESSEL.” AND HE SAID, “THERE IS NOT ANOTHER.” THEN THE OIL STOPPED FLOWING. SHE CAME AND TOLD THE MAN OF GOD, AND HE SAID, “GO, SELL THE OIL AND PAY YOUR DEBTS, AND YOU AND YOUR SONS CAN LIVE ON THE REST.”

Notice please the Lesson of God’s Provision.

Here is the pattern over and over again in Scripture: see what you have, give it to God, ask Him to bless it, and watch Him multiply it. Got a little flour? Give it to God, ask Him to bless it, watch him multiply it. Got a little oil? Give it to God, ask Him to bless it, watch Him multiply it. Got a few loaves of bread and a few sardines? Give it to God, ask Him to bless it, and watch Him multiply it.

Notice also the largeness of God’s Provision.

In just a little time, a little oil became a lot of oil. Your potential is not measured by your possessions; it is measured by God’s power. God’s power + your God-given potential = God’s abundant provision. What seemed like lack was turned into a surplus. The oil flowed and flowed until there was enough to pay the debts and for the family to live on. 

Facing your problems without God is problematic.

Facing your problems with God’s power releases potential, possibilities, and provisions.

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CONCLUSION:

1. Do not discount God’s ability to deliver.
2. Do not discard God’s desire for you to be cared for.
3. Do not despise God’s plan to make you stronger.