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2 Kings 4 KJV
1 A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves."
2 So Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.
In Part One we concluded that in order for a person to receive a miracle most often they must be willing to participate in the miracle process and they need to:
1. Be motivated to depend on God and not the arm of man;
2. Offer what they have to God for His touch;
3. Obediently follow the prescribed course of action required for God’s intervention:
* (this can be anything from dipping in the river Jordan seven times, to walking the isle at a church and humbly submitting to the laying on of hands for help);
* and finally, they should:
4. Use the blessings and benefits received for that which God intended when He blessed them.
We pick up in Part Two with verse 3 of Second Kings 4
2 Kings 4 KJV
3 Then he said, Go,
* Two thirds of God is Go! Human action is most often a required element preceding divine intervention. What would have been the outcome for Naaman in 2 Kings 5, if he had not dipped seven times in the Jordan River as instructed? What would have happened to Noah had he not have built the ark, (Genesis 7), or Moses had not he have gone down into Egypt, (Exodus 3) or if the widow of 1 Kings 17 had not made the prophet Elijah a little meal cake first?
* What would have happened if the Children of Israel had not been willing to participate in God’s plan and crossed over into the Promise Land in Numbers 13 … Oh! … they didn’t did they? Well, see what happens … they all died in the wilderness without inheriting the promises of God.
* One’s refusal to do their simple part is often the single downfall of God’s great plan for mankind. Go, here, is not a suggestion nor an option, but a command. When speaking with the lawyer in Luke 10:25, Jesus concluded the parable of the good Samaritan and solved the question of who his neighbor was in verse 37 by saying, “Go and do thou likewise.” Go and do are two cornerstones of the Believer’s gospel responsibility whether they are seeking salvation for themselves or others.
2 Kings 4 KJV
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours,
* Sometimes when one does not possess what they need to get them from where they are to where they are going, borrowing is God’s provision for the interim.
* Deuteronomy 15:6 & 28:12 give us to understand that God’s aim is to bring us to the place where we will not need to borrow but shall be the lenders.
* However, in Exodus 3:22 & 11:2 the Israelites were instructed by God to go and borrow silver, gold, jewels and clothing from the Egyptians before leaving Egypt and thus spoil their captors. These borrowed riches of the sinners would later be used to make the instruments of worship for the wilderness tabernacle.
* God is not against borrowing.
* But borrow with a plan and plan not always to have to borrow.
* Borrowing can also be a test of humility. Will one obey God when they must first humble themselves in the sight of others? Will one admit that they need and then ask for that need to be contributed to? The humility of simply asking for help is and has always been one tenant of receiving the miraculous.
* There is also an element of merging the natural with the supernatural to make a miracle. In 1 Kings 17, Elijah’s miracle comes from both the natural brook and the supernatural supply of raven’s food. When the brook dries up Elijah is not sustained only on the supernatural … God could have made water to flow from a rock or a jawbone of a donkey as He did for others in their hour of need. (Exodus 17; Numbers 20; Judges 15). Rather Elijah was instructed to proceed to his next miracle location which would require a natural supply from a widow’s meal bin and the local drought proof well as well as the supernatural supply from God’s miraculous increase.
* When God is unable to motivate people to supply what they can and give what they have, He often does not perform miracles. This can also be true where the only ingredient required from the lost and hurting is trust in God’s goodness and power. (Matthew 13:58 & Mark 6:5)
2 Kings 4 KJV
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels;
* My brother once told me that the hardest position to fill is one with someone in it. I think this true as well in regard to miracles. Perhaps many are not spiritually filled because they have not yet emptied themselves of other non-spiritual things of the world. I am not talking about stuff. There is nothing wrong with stuff. You can have stuff and stuff not have you.
* God does not mind us having stuff but He does not want stuff to have us. This was the barrier to the young rich ruler receiving his miracle in Matthew 19:21 and Mark 10:21. Again I quote from my brother’s wisdom: “Jesus did not say ‘give up’ as the man heard, rather Jesus said ‘give to’.” The young rich ruler went away sad because his stuff had him and that’s what Jesus is concerned about in many lives today. If this young rich ruler had just trusted and obeyed Jesus and emptied himself, he would have been filled with true riches from heaven that could never be lost.
* There is such potential in empty vessels.
* Full vessels may be at their greatest day.
* For over two decades this concept of seeking empty vessels and lifting them to God to fill has been at the forefront of our church growth and kingdom expansion philosophy. Like Pastor Kendal Bevil once said, “even chickens die off to the size of the coup.”
* When the vessel we are pouring into is not yet full, there is such expectancy of more to come from God. When we are fully satisfied, expectancy and excitement about a greater future seems to wane a bit.
2 Kings 4 KJV
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
* This is where many people can limit themselves and the hand of God. The prophet knew that he should and he did direct her to get a big vision of supply. A vision that would more than meet her immediate need. A vision that would supply her and her family for many days to come so that she would never need another financial miracle for the rest of her life.
* If you are going to go for a miracle, go for a big one! What is the use of wasting all that God on a miracle that barely meets your desperate temporary need. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all you could think or ask according to what is working on the inside of you. (Ephesians 3:20)
So, what should you do if you want a miracle?
* Get ready to do something in partnership with God.
* Empty yourself of selfishness.
* Ask God for your miracle.
* Don’t limit God to your current need.
How can a person limit God?
> 2 Kings 13:18-19 King Joash limited his future miraculous victories by his own limited actions. Elisha was angry with him for not getting more.
> In 1996 I was praying about the church purchasing a van and I took a drive to get away and pray. As I sat at a red light on Twin City Highway I began praying in the spirit. I was agonizing over the expenditure of these resources. The need was evident and growing but I was needing assurance from the Lord that the money would be there. I knew and operated under the principle that under normal circumstances God only pays for what He orders. I was not looking for a miracle I was looking for the divine guidance we need to order our normal daily lives in respect to need verses income. I really wanted to be wise. At that red light God’s voice invaded my moment and I heard Him clearly speak louder than my thoughts, interrupting my thinking and praying. He simply said, “When it is all over and done with, I would have been willing to give you more than you will get … (there was a pause for a second and then He said) … go for it.” This gave me a whole new point to consider when considering kingdom matters that may stretch me beyond my current means and even often into the realm of the miraculous.
* Don’t Limit God
> John 10:10 Jesus came to give you abundant life
> 2 Peter 1:3 and all things that pertain to life and Godliness
> 2 Peter 1:4 … exceeding great and precious promises
What size is a miracle … one size fits all!
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