Hope in the Mundane
Sharon W. Betters
Today’s Treasure
And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Matthew 6:28
What does attempting GREAT THINGS FOR GOD look like in a dying church, a young pastor's family, a defeated congregation of people longing for something more, desperate to hold on to the past glory, not sure what expecting great things from God looks like?
Those many years ago on our inner-city parsonage porch, Elisha's question to the hopeless widow, “What do you have in your house?” (2 Kings 4:1) took on life as we began to take stock of what little we had to offer in what felt like a hopeless mission. One of our previous exciting ministry experiences took place within a circle of like-minded young adults committed to sharing the Gospel. Now we were alone. We didn’t know one person in this church. Chuck concluded, "If only I had two strong families who shared the vision of the Gospel...." But there didn't seem to be anyone who had the energy or the passion for Kingdom Building in this neighborhood.
Chuck's cry to the Lord scared me, "The inner city is not where I want to be. What have You done bringing us to this place? I have nothing to give to this needy community. The needs are bottomless."
Unlike Chuck, the ministry possibilities of this move initially excited me. Now I feared my enthusiasm may have influenced Chuck to say yes to this assignment when he could have said no. I didn’t know how to help – maybe he was right.
Implied in his cry was, "I am your servant. I gave you my life. Surely you have something more exciting for me to do than trudge through life in this dying community, all by myself."
Chuck's cries sound eerily like the widow in 2 Kings, when she reminds Elisha that her preacher husband, one of Elisha's guys, is dead, murdered by Elisha's arch enemy, Jezebel, implying Elisha must take responsibility for saving her family.
Elisha's response to the widow is not much different than God's response to us in those lonely days.
Watch as the prophet Elisha seems to callously respond to a grief-stricken, hopeless widow's pleas for help from him and see if you can detect the similarities. She is about to lose her two sons. The widow's husband was one of the prophets murdered by the wicked Jezebel. A creditor is coming to take her two sons as payment for her bills. Surely Elisha, God's representative, should take responsibility for saving her penniless family, so she asks Elisha for help. She has nothing - or does she?
Elisha asks her a critical question, one we would do well to ask ourselves when life seems hopeless:
"What do you have in your house?"
Her response, "Nothing, except..."
"Nothing... except... well, I have a little bit of oil." Was she thinking, "The oil is worthless, Elisha - not even enough to bake a loaf of bread. And in fact, I don't even have flour for bread... so what can you do with such a pittance? Can't you just pay my bills so my sons aren't made slaves?" Maybe Elisha could have paid the bills for her, but he had something better in mind, a life lesson that would not only pay the bills today but meet her needs in the future.
Elisha knew his limitations. He couldn't help her, but God could. His question, “What do you have in your house?” helps the widow re-evaluate her circumstances. His question challenged her: “Are you really without hope? Has your crisis blinded you to one blessing, one thing, one hope? And ultimately, has God really abandoned you?
In the middle of my own frustration melt-downs, those questions initially frustrate me more, but when I take a deep breath and listen carefully, I begin to see - perhaps I missed one hopeful thing.
Elisha’s question may have seemed ludicrous to the widow, but his end game was to turn her heart toward her God who would do for her what Elisha could not. Our goal must always be the same – to turn hearts toward the only One who can meet our deepest needs.
Elisha was about to show this widow how to attempt something great for God and to expect something great from God. She discovered hope in the mundane.
Teaching Moment #3 – Know your limitations.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Back to Chuck’s helpless cries that first Sunday in our new church. God could have magically filled our city church with like-minded, passionate about the Gospel families. But He had something bigger in mind for us.
Nothing, except...
What is the "except" in your house, your hands?
PRAYER
Oh Father, may we listen carefully to Your answers to our cries. May we obey in the mundane when it seems pointless and open our hearts to the answers right in front of our eyes.
Sharon W. Betters is author of Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness and co-author of Treasures of Faith. She is Director of Resource Development and co-founder of MARKINC.org, a non profit organization that offers help and hope to hurting people. Sharon enjoys quality time with her husband, children, fourteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
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Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.