Growth Who do you Cry out to?

[Sandy Zalecki]

“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 Kings 4:1)

This widow was about to lose her two sons into slavery because she no longer had anything and her creditor was about to take them away to pay her debts. The unnamed widow was a friend of Elisha’s because she called him to help her. What did he do? Did he tell her there was no hope or that she should just give up and give her son’s away to her creditors? No, he told her to take what she had which was just one jar of oil and borrow jars from the neighbors. God was about to perform a miracle.

When all the jars were full, she had enough oil to pay off her creditors and live off the rest. “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you are your sons live on the rest.” (2 Kings 4:7) NKJ In her distress, the widow cried out to God for her deliverance and she received her miracle.

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses.” (Psalm 107:6) NKJ Just like the widow in our story cried out to God, so did the children of Israel when they wondered in the desert for 40 years.

How many of us today cry out to God for our deliverance? Or do we cry out to the government for our deliverance? I hear many people doing that. They are angry because the jobs are leaving and things aren’t as good as they were in the “good ole days.” Perhaps the “good ole days” weren’t as good as we remembered or they were good because we had a dependence on God that we don’t have today. There are so many government agencies to cry out to before we go to God and ask for His help in any situation.

View attachment 4189 We cry out to the government to provide protection, the corporations to provide jobs, doctors to provide healthcare, and courts to provide justice. Have we forgotten that the Lord is able to do miracles in our lives? Even in times of bad a bad economy God is able to do miracles on our behalf. Who do you trust for your deliverance?

 

[for_his_glory]

Either we trust God in all things or we place our trust in that of the world. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord, Joshua 24:15. I find myself not crying out anymore, but completely trusting in the Lord to make ways where there seems no way.

Php 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

 

[Sandy Zalecki]

Either we trust God in all things or we place our trust in that of the world. As for me and my house we will serve the Lord, Joshua 24:15. I find myself not crying out anymore, but completely trusting in the Lord to make ways where there seems no way.

Php 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

That's for sure. I find myself crying out to Him more and more also. Guess what, He always provides above and beyond what I can think or ask.

 

[TOG]

Most of you have probably heard this story before, but I think it's relevant, so I'll tell it anyway.

There was an old man who lived alone in a small town. One day it started raining and seemed that it wouldn't ever stop. The whole town had to be evacuated because of the flood. A man went to the old man's home and told him there was a bus outside that would evacuate him and others that needed assistance. The old man told him "Don't worry about me. I've prayed about it and God has promised to take care of me." The bus left without the old man. But it kept raining and the water kept rising and eventually got so deep that the old man had to go up to the second floor to keep out of the water. A boat passed by and saw him through a window. A man on the boat called out to him that he would take him to safety, but the old man answered "God will take care of me", so the boat left without him. Later still, the water rose so high that the old man had to go up on his roof to stay out of the water. While he was there, a helicopter flew overhead and a rope was thrown down to him. A man in the helicopter called out to him that they would take him to safety. But just like the previous two times, the old man refused and said that God would take care of him, so the helicopter left without him. Eventually, the entire house was underwater, and because he couldn't swim, the old man drowned. When he got to Heaven, he asked God why He hadn't helped him like He had promised. God answered "I sent a bus, I sent a boat and I sent a helicopter. What more did you want me to do?"

When God helps us, He doesn't always do it in some spectacular, obviously supernatural way. Most of the time He uses ordinary people and things around us, like the things He used to help the man in the flood. What if the man had gone with the bus? Would he have been trusting in the bus driver or calling out to the driver for help, or would he have been recognizing that the bus was the method God used to help him? When we're out of work and need money or when we need health care that we can't afford or some other assistance, accepting help from the government doesn't have to conflict with trusting in God to provide for us. Maybe He is just using the government to do His will and help His people.

The TOG​

 

[Sandy Zalecki]

Most of you have probably heard this story before, but I think it's relevant, so I'll tell it anyway.

There was an old man who lived alone in a small town. One day it started raining and seemed that it wouldn't ever stop. The whole town had to be evacuated because of the flood. A man went to the old man's home and told him there was a bus outside that would evacuate him and others that needed assistance. The old man told him "Don't worry about me. I've prayed about it and God has promised to take care of me." The bus left without the old man. But it kept raining and the water kept rising and eventually got so deep that the old man had to go up to the second floor to keep out of the water. A boat passed by and saw him through a window. A man on the boat called out to him that he would take him to safety, but the old man answered "God will take care of me", so the boat left without him. Later still, the water rose so high that the old man had to go up on his roof to stay out of the water. While he was there, a helicopter flew overhead and a rope was thrown down to him. A man in the helicopter called out to him that they would take him to safety. But just like the previous two times, the old man refused and said that God would take care of him, so the helicopter left without him. Eventually, the entire house was underwater, and because he couldn't swim, the old man drowned. When he got to Heaven, he asked God why He hadn't helped him like He had promised. God answered "I sent a bus, I sent a boat and I sent a helicopter. What more did you want me to do?"

When God helps us, He doesn't always do it in some spectacular, obviously supernatural way. Most of the time He uses ordinary people and things around us, like the things He used to help the man in the flood. What if the man had gone with the bus? Would he have been trusting in the bus driver or calling out to the driver for help, or would he have been recognizing that the bus was the method God used to help him? When we're out of work and need money or when we need health care that we can't afford or some other assistance, accepting help from the government doesn't have to conflict with trusting in God to provide for us. Maybe He is just using the government to do His will and help His people.

The TOG​

Yes, I have heard this story before, and that's not really what I'm talking about. Who is your God? Churches used to be the place that people would go when they needed charity. They are only nominally involved in that anymore. We nearly always go to the government and some agency for help. Doctor's were provided by churches and the church would pay for the doctor if the family couldn't. When someone was sick, people from the church or neighborhood would help out until they got well. The church educated the children and the reason they educated them was so they could read the Bible.

When you lose your job do you get angry and blame the government for not providing or do you call on God to be your provision? Of course He uses ordinary people and circumstances to help us. We are His hands, but who do you cry out to when you are having problems, the government agency or God?

 

[Deborah13]

Most of you have probably heard this story before, but I think it's relevant, so I'll tell it anyway.

There was an old man who lived alone in a small town. One day it started raining and seemed that it wouldn't ever stop. The whole town had to be evacuated because of the flood. A man went to the old man's home and told him there was a bus outside that would evacuate him and others that needed assistance. The old man told him "Don't worry about me. I've prayed about it and God has promised to take care of me." The bus left without the old man. But it kept raining and the water kept rising and eventually got so deep that the old man had to go up to the second floor to keep out of the water. A boat passed by and saw him through a window. A man on the boat called out to him that he would take him to safety, but the old man answered "God will take care of me", so the boat left without him. Later still, the water rose so high that the old man had to go up on his roof to stay out of the water. While he was there, a helicopter flew overhead and a rope was thrown down to him. A man in the helicopter called out to him that they would take him to safety. But just like the previous two times, the old man refused and said that God would take care of him, so the helicopter left without him. Eventually, the entire house was underwater, and because he couldn't swim, the old man drowned. When he got to Heaven, he asked God why He hadn't helped him like He had promised. God answered "I sent a bus, I sent a boat and I sent a helicopter. What more did you want me to do?"

When God helps us, He doesn't always do it in some spectacular, obviously supernatural way. Most of the time He uses ordinary people and things around us, like the things He used to help the man in the flood. What if the man had gone with the bus? Would he have been trusting in the bus driver or calling out to the driver for help, or would he have been recognizing that the bus was the method God used to help him? When we're out of work and need money or when we need health care that we can't afford or some other assistance, accepting help from the government doesn't have to conflict with trusting in God to provide for us. Maybe He is just using the government to do His will and help His people.

The TOG​

I understand what you are saying, I think.
That man was crying out to God, not anyone else, for his help. But didn't recognize God's help when it came. He expected God to do it his way and couldn't see beyond that.

 

[Sandy Zalecki]

I understand what you are saying, I think.
That man was crying out to God, not anyone else, for his help. But didn't recognize God's help when it came. He expected God to do it his way and couldn't see beyond that.

Yes, that is true, but we need to learn to differentiate between when God is sending someone to help us and when we are not trusting Him to supply our needs. That only comes with study in the Word, training, and maturity.