Taking Action
Last night, my husband and I had a rather impassioned discussion about taking opportunities. So many times, it is easy to fall into the trap of planning rather than doing. We plan what we want our life to be. We then get stuck in the rut of existing until our plan for living comes to fruition - if it comes to fruition. That rut of existing leads to depression and sadness because we feel we are not who or what we always wanted to be.
As I told my husband last night, seven years ago I learned to just live life. Seven years ago, I learned to act on the faith of the moment instead of always planning. Seven years ago, when I experienced a health worry, anxiety, depression, spiritual abuse, and spiritual warfare; I learned the value of living in the moment and taking every possible opportunity, seizing every possible moment. I learned to have the attitude of if I am going to die tomorrow, I am going to live today.
Today for our housechurch study, we studied from I Kings 18. First Kings 18 discusses Elijah pronouncing a drought upon Israel during the time of Ahab. Last week, we discussed some of the evil kings that culminated in the reign of Ahab and Jezebel. This week, we see the consequences of Ahab's evil choices, choices that included popularizing Baal worship. In I Kings 18, the prophet Elijah declares it will not rain and there will be no dew until he says there will be.
This statement is amazing in itself. Think of it. God trusted Elijah enough to say, "It's not going to rain or even be dew until I say so." Perhaps it is even more amazing that God, then, provides specifically for Elijah. First, he leads Elijah to a brook. He sends ravens to feed Elijah and the brook provides the water. Soon enough, though, the brook dries out. And this is where we get into the heart of our lesson and how it applies to the conversation my husband and I had last night.
God sends Elijah to a widow of a Phoenician town. Imagine what this widow must have thought when Elijah came to her asking for water and bread. A widow, in this time period, was probably financially strained due to the death of her husband. On top of that, the country is in a drought. She explains to Elijah that she has enough flour and olive oil to make one, small loaf of bread for her son and herself. It will be their last meal. They are certainly starving and will die soon. This is her plan. There is no other plan to make. At least she and her beloved son can share one, last meal.
Elijah then has a startling idea. He tells the woman to take a part of the dough that she has left and to make a loaf of bread for him first. Then she can make the food for herself and her son. But, when she does this, she will not need to worry. The flour and olive oil will last and provide food for them until the rain comes - whenever that will be.
Imagine being this widow. She has very little food - just enough to provide a bit of sustenance for herself and her son before they die of starvation, and this stranger is telling her to take part of what little she has and give it to him. She has a choice to make. She can continue with her plan, or she can act on faith in the moment - a moment that this stranger indicates was provided by God.
She makes her decision. She gives part of their food to Elijah. The flour lasts. Later when her son dies, Elijah prays and God brings him back to life. Imagine if she had chosen to just continue with her well thought-out plan. She and her son would have shared their last meal and died of starvation. However, because she chose to trust, because she chose to act on the faith of the moment; she and her son had enough food to last, and her son was even brought back to life when he later died. Faith is action. This widow had to act on the faith. She had to seize the opportunity presented to her.
It is not easy to give up our idea of how things should be or, perhaps, how they have to be. But God does not operate on our definitions or our plans. One of my favorite Bible Verses is Proverbs 19:21, "Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (NIV). The widow learned this lesson. We would do well to realize it, too.
As I told my husband last night, seven years ago I learned to just live life. Seven years ago, I learned to act on the faith of the moment instead of always planning. Seven years ago, when I experienced a health worry, anxiety, depression, spiritual abuse, and spiritual warfare; I learned the value of living in the moment and taking every possible opportunity, seizing every possible moment. I learned to have the attitude of if I am going to die tomorrow, I am going to live today.
Today for our housechurch study, we studied from I Kings 18. First Kings 18 discusses Elijah pronouncing a drought upon Israel during the time of Ahab. Last week, we discussed some of the evil kings that culminated in the reign of Ahab and Jezebel. This week, we see the consequences of Ahab's evil choices, choices that included popularizing Baal worship. In I Kings 18, the prophet Elijah declares it will not rain and there will be no dew until he says there will be.
This statement is amazing in itself. Think of it. God trusted Elijah enough to say, "It's not going to rain or even be dew until I say so." Perhaps it is even more amazing that God, then, provides specifically for Elijah. First, he leads Elijah to a brook. He sends ravens to feed Elijah and the brook provides the water. Soon enough, though, the brook dries out. And this is where we get into the heart of our lesson and how it applies to the conversation my husband and I had last night.
God sends Elijah to a widow of a Phoenician town. Imagine what this widow must have thought when Elijah came to her asking for water and bread. A widow, in this time period, was probably financially strained due to the death of her husband. On top of that, the country is in a drought. She explains to Elijah that she has enough flour and olive oil to make one, small loaf of bread for her son and herself. It will be their last meal. They are certainly starving and will die soon. This is her plan. There is no other plan to make. At least she and her beloved son can share one, last meal.
Elijah then has a startling idea. He tells the woman to take a part of the dough that she has left and to make a loaf of bread for him first. Then she can make the food for herself and her son. But, when she does this, she will not need to worry. The flour and olive oil will last and provide food for them until the rain comes - whenever that will be.
Imagine being this widow. She has very little food - just enough to provide a bit of sustenance for herself and her son before they die of starvation, and this stranger is telling her to take part of what little she has and give it to him. She has a choice to make. She can continue with her plan, or she can act on faith in the moment - a moment that this stranger indicates was provided by God.
She makes her decision. She gives part of their food to Elijah. The flour lasts. Later when her son dies, Elijah prays and God brings him back to life. Imagine if she had chosen to just continue with her well thought-out plan. She and her son would have shared their last meal and died of starvation. However, because she chose to trust, because she chose to act on the faith of the moment; she and her son had enough food to last, and her son was even brought back to life when he later died. Faith is action. This widow had to act on the faith. She had to seize the opportunity presented to her.
It is not easy to give up our idea of how things should be or, perhaps, how they have to be. But God does not operate on our definitions or our plans. One of my favorite Bible Verses is Proverbs 19:21, "Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (NIV). The widow learned this lesson. We would do well to realize it, too.
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