What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do

Introduction

We read in 2 Kings 4:1-7, “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. 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. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 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. 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. 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. 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. (KJV)

Some one has said: “When you are at the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and keep climbing. Don’t give up, don’t give in, don’t give way, and don’t give out.” I have a tape at home of a southern gospel song. The title of it is “don’t give up on the brink of a miracle.” In the Christian life we face many obstacles. We sometimes face things and we don’t know what to do. Adrian Rogers preaches a message that details the first part of the journey out of Egypt:

Detours

Dried Holes

Dead Ends

Many times that is the experience of our lives.

The need of our lives is to find a way to get through these times of uncertainty.

We Can Wait

We Can Wonder

We Can Wander

We Can Watch

We Can Worship

We may not know the future but we know who holds the future. When these times come we must make the right decisions. The difference between a stumbling block and a stepping stone is what you make of it.(Zingers, p.53)

Every time we come to this place in our lives we must learn to give it to God. There is a precedent found in the widow’ life. The same way God took care of her, is the same way God will take care of us. Let’s look closely at her place of uncertainty

I. The Place of Despair

Have you ever heard these words: “I have gone as far as I can go.” Or have you ever said these words: “I have taken about all I can take.” The woman in our text was there!!!!!! Notice her condition.

A. She was Bereaved

Her husband was dead and she was alone to raise the two boys. Grief is one of the most difficult emotions. Chuck Swindoll says, "comfort for the sorrowing cannot be regulated or systematized.” Killing Giants. p.39

A little girl lost her playmate to death. One day she told her family she had been to see the sorrowing mother. “What did you say?,” asked her father. “Nothing,” she replied, “I just climbed into her lap and cried with her.” Killing Giants p.40

Grief sometimes brings us to the end of the road.

B. She was Broke

She was in debt and destitute. Her husband had incurred some debt that she was required to pay or her sons would become slaves.

Debt is a real problem for many of us today.

This is a wonderful country. Where else can you walk out of your mortgaged home, step into a time- payment car, and drive down a bonded highway on credit card gas to charge something at your favorite store?

Debt can bring despair.

C. She was Bewildered

Notice the word “cried.” This word means “shriek” or “cry out” or “wail.” She was at the point of despair.

One of the darkest days of my ministry was the week of Christmas, 1980. No money. No job. No hope. No peace. No confidence. Nowhere to go. God and I had a talk on December 31, 1980. He talked, I listened. Remember when you get to the point that you don’t know what to do, remember that God does know what you should do.

II. The Particulars of Duty

Someone said, “Accept the circumstances, then seek to overcome them. (Zingers, p. 62) This is exactly what the widow did – she became an overcomer!

A. The Inventory

Elisha asked her what she wanted. And he asked what she had. Both of these required taking inventory Despair is always a time to take inventory. We can ask, “What are my needs and what has God already supplied for my help?” God wants us to look deep to see our need of him.

B. The Item

All she had was a pot of oil. Just like the loaves and fishes, all God wants is our nothing so he can demonstrate his greatness.

A Significant Object = Anointing Oil (Enough for One)

A Sacred Object = Symbolic of The Holy Spirit

A Slighted Object = Just a Pot

A Saving Object = For This Lady it was all She Needed

C. The Instructions

She was to gather all the vessels that she could. She was told not to gather not gather just a few. She had no idea of what was to happen, for had she known she would have secured more vessels. She was to be discreet and shut the door. She was to pour the oil in the vessels until it stopped.

III. Point of Decision

This woman made a decision. She did not know what to do about everything, but she knew that the man of God was right.

A. Obedience

She obeyed the man of God. She did so,

Immediately

Implicitly

When times are at their worst, it is the worst time to quit.

Obey God and let him work

B. Opportunity

 God only wants us to give up and let him work.

Because of her faith and obedience, she moved from being a victim to being a victor!

IV. The Power of Deliverance

A. Supply was Definite

Her debt was paid.

Her dependents were saved.

Her desire was met.

B. Supply could have been Indefinite

The only problem the widow had was that she did not get all that God had for her. William Carey, the early missionary movement leader, said, “Attempt great things for God, and expect great things from God.

Conclusion

Two men were fishing and they hit big. One fisherman noticed some strange behavior from the other man. Every time he caught a fish he would measure it. It seemed that all the big fish were being thrown back into the water. Finally the first fisherman could stand it no longer. He said “We have been catching fish all day and every time you catch a big fish you throw it back. Why?”

The other fisherman replied, “I only have an eight inch skillet at home.”

When God delivers blessings to us, we must not limit Him with our small skillets! How big is your skillet? Are you ready for God to do even greater things in you, through you and for you?

A Baptist church in my hometown went for many years without enjoying the full blessings available to them. Now they are basking in the sunlight of God’s goodness. Why? It was probably that way because the pastors or lay leaders of the past just had skillets too small. That must not happen to us as individuals, families or as a church. We must not limit God with small expectations.