A Step Ahead

This evening we embark on the first prayer meeting of 2021… and I feel this night could be the most important night we spend together as a church this year.

First, we believe in the power of prayer! We are fully aware that the challenges of last year are still in play, therefore, we must be diligent in our pursuit of God as we continue to press ahead in our mission.

The needs of others in this season have not decreased… but increased. Although our traditional methods of outreach have been disrupted by current events, it doesn’t mean our mission has become any less important. And this leads me to the second reason why this night is so important.

Second, we need to trust in God as we prepare to walk through new doors that He is opening. We know… that change is on the horizon. And I realize that change is a word that we don’t necessarily like.

We know we have some staff changes coming in the next several weeks. Pastor Karli is transitioning out of youth ministry following the call of God on her life.

2020 was the year that the phrase “we have never done it that way” disappeared… and we are better because of it. In some ways, I am saddened that it took a pandemic to encourage churches across this nation to rise up beyond tradition and embrace new methods in reaching the lost. God is on the move… and we need to position ourselves to fully trust in His move and leading.

This will and does require prayer! As changes are happening, our communication with God who is orchestrating the changes must only increase in such times!

This evening, I want to look at a story of Scripture that will highlight two important things to remember as we walk through seasons such as this.

One, God is worthy of our complete trust. God has never nor will He ever let us down!

Two, God is always a step ahead. As we enter into different seasons, we need to understand that God knows what He is doing and His will is good, pleasing and perfect according to Romans 12:2.

Our passage looks at a moment in the life of Elijah the prophet in 1 Kings. It was a time of drought… a time of hardship, and Elijah is instructed by God to (1 Kings 17:8) “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”

Elijah receives this instruction from God while in the Kerith Ravine east of the Jordan river. God had taken care of him by sullying food through ravens and water through the brook. When the brook dried up due to the drought… it was time to move on. The resource had changed… but God’s ever loving care had not.

Elijah would next encounter a widow… a widow who would be given a choice. Now, in most cases, we do not think of widows in Scripture as being a source of resource. In fact, the Church in the New Testament is charged with looking after widows in James 1:27. Elijah goes as the Lord instructed and the two meet as he came to the town gate.

Both Elijah and the widow find themselves in a difficult position because of the season surrounding them - but God was about to prove that He was one step ahead of their current circumstance… and faith was the key to unlocking His plan.

That We May Eat it… and Die

This is not exactly what a person might expect to be a main point in a message on prayer and faith! I place this in front of us tonight to show you what the widows plan… what her outlook on the future was prior to her encounter with Elijah.

She was picking up sticks to make a fire. She had just enough flour and oil left to make bread for herself and her son. And then… Elijah asks for something to eat. She then gives this grim response in 1 Kings 17:12 to indicate her options were limited. Her resources had run dry. She was ready to give up. What choice did she have? Elijah gives her a new choice - trust in God.

Look at it beginning in 1 Kings 17:13. Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.’

The ball… as you might say… was now in her court. Originally her plan was to make one last meal and give up. Now she can choose to provide food for Elijah and the command of God with the promise that her resource would not run dry before the rain returned. What would she do?

I do not find the timing of this encounter as coincidence. Elijah was sent the moment the brook ran dry to a widow at the moment her resource was about to run dry. Both were facing very dire circumstances.

Moms and dads, imagine being in a place when you have just enough food left to provide one last mean for your family. Imagine the range of emotions you might feel. Imagine the level of hopeless. Eat and die… that was all that was left to do…

BUT GOD HAD ANOTHER PLAN. GOD WAS A STEP AHEAD.

God was about to move POWERFULLY in this situation… but there were two things that had to happen first.

Do not fear. Walk in His Promise.

Elijah tells the widow not to fear. By doing so, the stage is set for faith to move in.

Fear keeps us from moving in faith. Fear keeps us in moments of hopelessness instead of moving forward in the promises of God.

Fear is a tool of the enemy that locks us in the moment… that locks us in the circumstance. Fear would have led the widow to do exactly what she said she was going to do… eat the last of their bread… and die. But faith was instructing her do to something else… to find a third option that on the surface, may not make much sense?

“Give the last of my bread to you? Leave even less for my son and I? Who are you to ask of my resource?” But church… it was Elijah that was asking her to take this step of faith… it was God. And it was also God that promised if he stepped out in faith, she would step into His Promise!

Look at verse 14 again, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says…” This was not a promise given by Elijah, It was a promise of God given THROUGH Elijah.

Suddenly, there was a new option. The widow did not have to eat and then die… she could now serve and live! Serve God and live in His promise!

God was a step ahead in this situation… but the widow had to keep stepping in faith in order for the promise to be realized.

The rest of the story begins in verse 15, She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.

God is ALWAYS a Step Ahead

God is always a step ahead! And the key to realizing His future promises is stepping in faith today. God has a plan for you and for this church. And while the season around us seems different, God’s promises - His plan - remains the same - His good, pleasing and perfect plan!

So as we prepare to pray, let’s believe, in faith, for the promises God has for tomorrow. We do not know what might be required of us to give… but yet we do.

We must give Him our trust. The widow trusted God with all that she had - with her flour, her oil, her son, and her life. If God failed to come through… she would lose it all. But in order for God to come through… she had to trust Him with it all.

How far are we willing to go in our trust with the Lord? Are we all in? Do we trust Him with everything? Are we willing to do and go as the Lord will instruct us… or will we remain in the moment… controlled by our limited resource and fear?

Tonight as we pray, I want us to pray for two specific things.

One - for the Lord to increase our faith. I want us to pray for God to strengthen our trust in Him.

Two - that in our trust, we would walk in His promises. This means… trusting God with everything. This means not holding back. This means letting go… and letting God. And God will be able to do more with what we give then we could have ever done on our own!

2021 is going to look different. It is going to feel different. It is going to stretch us and grow us… so long as we are willing to trust God with everything.

We will need the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit as we move forward in His plan for this church and for the heartland. He is opening doors in new areas that will require commitment and sacrifice but His promises are good… His promises are yes and amen!

Can we believe and trust that God is a step ahead… that God has a plan… that trusting in God today means walking in promise tomorrow?