Topic: It May Not Make Sense [Tuesday 21, March 2017]
Memorise: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. – Isaiah 55:8
Read: 2 Kings 4:1-7 (KJV)
1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
Bible in One Year: Exodus 20-21, Isaiah 65:13-25
MESSAGE:
Total obedience remains a major key to unlocking the doors of signs and wonders. In our Bible reading, when the man of God gave some instructions to the widow whose sons were about to be taken into slavery, she had every right to call them stupid instructions. He told her to go and borrow empty vessels from her neighbours. With the human understanding, one cannot see the relationship between borrowing empty containers and the money she needed. Also, she was asked to pour the oil in her little bottle into large containers. How can a small bottle of oil fill up one large container, not to mention several containers? That is exactly the point. Blessed are those who will not argue with God. If you ask about my greatest secret, it is simply that I do not argue with God. He has asked me to do many things that the rational mind with call “foolish”, and yet I never argue. Why? I discovered a long time ago that my brain is too little to understand this great God. The Bible in 1 Corinthians 1:27 says,
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;”
Many years ago, when God asked me to go to the current site of the Redemption Camp, which was still a dense bush then, I did not argue. I could have advanced several reasons for not going. I could have said it was the operational base of armed robbers, or that it was very far from Lagos, or that there was no electricity or water supply there. Back then, we needed a place where a lot of people could converge for our convention. By the grace of God, I did not argue. Today, the result is there for all to see. If you can be “foolish” enough to obey God completely, you will definitely become a candidate for signs and wonders. Many of the divine instructions that produce outstanding results do not make sense. It did make sense when an axe-head fell into the river and the servant of God sank a piece of wood into the river to make the axe-head float (2 Kings 6:1-7). It did not make sense when a single march of four helpless and hopeless lepers towards the enemy’s camp became the thunderous hustling of thousands of chariots and horses, thereby chasing away the forces that had besieged Samaria (2 Kings 7:1-7). It does not make sense when you are in need and God instructs you to give Him or His servant the last you have on you (1 Kings 17:10-14). It may not make sense to you, but it does to Him. The sooner you accept His “foolish” instructions the better for you. If you have to wait until it makes sense, then the miracle might be delayed indefinitely.
Key Point: God’s mode of operation may sound foolish, but it always gets the desired results.
Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.
