When you are in trouble

2 Kings 4:1 NLT

1 One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.”

The Situation

This woman’s husband was dead

maybe during his lifetime he got a loan, or maybe after his death she got a loan to keep the family going.

But the money from the loan is due, and she does not have it

In those days, if you could not pay your debts, and you would become a slave to pay for your debts.

so the creditor is threatening to take away her sons to pay the debt

and she cries out to Elisha, the prophet of God because her husband served God through serving Elisha

so we have a godly family in a very bad situation

In this life, God’s people face bad situations too

serving the Lord does not exempt you from serious trouble

but there is a word today for when you are in trouble

When you are in trouble, turn to God

She was at the end of her rope and she turned to God for help

She could have gone to prophet of another god, there were many false gods to pick from

she could have had an attitude - serving the Lord has not paid off: husband died, creditor is calling

let me try one of these other gods

She could have turned to theivery

She could have turned to prostitution

but in her troubled situation, she turned to God

someone today might be contemplating turning to something else other than God

slightly immoral, slightly illegal

something off the cuff, something not quite on the up and up

But I encourage you that when you are in trouble, turn to God

the Psalms says, “my help comes from the Lord”

that old song that says, “Be not dismayed, whatever be’tide, God will take care of you”

when you are in trouble, turn to God

2 Kings 4:2 NLT

2 “What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” “Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replied.

Elisha aks, “What do you have in the house?”

And she starts off her answer with, “nothing at all”

Which is how we often think of our situation

when we are in trouble, we feel that we have nothing at all

nothing is going right

nothing is looking up

nothing is adding up

nothing is going my way

But then she remembers, “except a flask of olive oil”

When you are in trouble, turn to God and

Remember to count your “except”

for every bad situation, you still have an “except”

tough situation

an emotion examination of your situation will result in “nothing at all”, but an accurate account of your situation will reveal an “except”

you do have something, it might not be much, but you do have an except

and God can work with an except

He can meet your needs by using your except

He can do miracles with just an except

He can make a way through an except

He can bring you out with an except

Moses had nothing except a stick and delivered the people of Israel

Joshua had nothing except marching plans, and defeated Jericho

David had nothing except a sling shot and defeated Goliath

Nehemiah had nothing except a prayer of repentance and saved his city

the disciples had nothing except 2 fish and 5 loaves, and over 5K ate good that day

God can work with an except

As you evaluate your situation, Remember to count your except

nothing except $5, God can work with that

nothing except 1/4 tank of gas, God can work with that

nothing except a dream, God can work with that

nothing but a sincere desire to take care of your family, God can work with that

nothing except a prayer closet? God can work with that

nothing except your integrity, God can work with that

God created the world out of nothing

so, certainly he can work with your except

the little something I have is more than enough for God

2 Kings 4:3 NLT

3 And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors.

The empty jars are a good representation of faith

Your except is only a single flask of oil, but you have faith for multiple jars of oil

so when you are in trouble, turn to God, count your except, and . . .

gather as much faith as you can

So woman gather as many jars as you can, gather as much faith as you can, come up with as much faith as you can

sometimes you have to borrow faith from your friends and neighbors, you have to remember that . . .

God blessed my grandmother when she didn’t have much . . . take some faith from that

God kept my father, when he was down to his last

God did a miracle for my co-worker when they were about to go under

God came through for my cousin

God worked it out for a fellow church member

God rescued my brother

God healed my sister

and if God did it for them, the same God can do it for me!

when you are in trouble gather as much faith as you can

and some of you don’t even have to go to neighbors

you can go to your pantry/closet and get some jars

you can look back over you own life and see what God has already brought you through

and encourage yourself that if God did it before, he can do it again!

you notice, the woman did not ask for her neighbor’s oil . . . just empty jars

you don’t need your neighbor’s miracle, just the example of their faith

you don’t need your friends breakthrough, just the reminder of what God can do

you don’t their oil, their blessing, breakthrough, their miracle . . . because God has a blessing with your name on it!

miracle just for you, breakthrough just for you

you will receive your OWN oil

so get as much faith as you can gather

2 Kings 4:4 NLT

4 Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.”

so you have turned to God, counted your except, and gathered as much faith as you can . . . . now what?

When you are in trouble, you’ve got to shut the door and pour the oil

you got a word on Sunday that encouraged you and built up your faith . . . good

you were taught during midweek Bible study and it strengthened your faith . .. good

and you’re all pumped up as you remember what God has done for others! . . . good

but all of that is for nothing if you don’t shut the door and pour the oil

what really counts is what you do behind closed doors

what really counts is what you acutally Do in your daily walk of faith

when it’s just you and yours, will there be evidence of your faith?

when the door is shut, are you pouring oil?

when the prophet won’t be there with you, the pastor won’t be with you, momma won’t be with you, fellow church members won’t be their with you . . . will you walk out the faith that you have gathered and built up?

will you walk out the faith that you say you have?

when it’s just you and yours will you put some action to all that you say you believe?

Examples

will you take that first step towards getting that degree or training, there won’t be a public ceremony for signing up for a class, but it is an act of faith . . . that’s pouring oild behind closed doors.

when you take the last of your little money and put it into your business, and no one knows what a sacrifice you’ve made or the risk you’re taking, that’s an act of faith and thats pouring oil behind closed doors

when you treat that enemy right despite how they have treated you, there’ll be no cameras documenting you demonstration of love, that’s pouring oil behind closed doors

when you give more to the church, there will be no announcment to all the members that Bro. so and so is now tithing, but that’s an act of faith, that’s pouring oil behind closed doors

when you keep pressing on , when all signs point to giving up, and no one knows or understands what you’re going through, that’s pouring oil behind closed doors

walking out that faith, doing and not just hearing

will you shut the door and pour the oil . . . or are you satisfied with a warm fuzzy feeling every Sunday afternoon?

this woman . . . turned to God, counted her except, gathered as much faith as she could, shut the doors and poured the oil . . . but this next step is a step many of us miss

2 Kings 4:5 NLT

5 So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another.

Notice how it says that key kept bringing the jars to her, and she filled one after another

When you are in trouble, faith is not always a one step process

they kept bringing, she kept pouring, bringing and pouring, bringing and pouring

So don’t start off strong in faith and then give up

Examples of starting off strong and then giving up

I tithe for two weeks straight, and that’s it

I post two videos for my business on social media, no sales and that’s it

I register for the class but I don’t take it seriously

I applied for two jobs, no call backs, I’m frustrated and done

I put money into my business, and don’t want to put any more

I start the ministry, but no one tells me how they were blessed, so I’m done

I treated my enemey with kindness, but they responded with grufness, so I am out

sometimes you have to keep on keeping on . . . keep pouring the oil

it’s a WALK of faiwth, not a STEP of faith

2 Kings 4:6–7 NLT

6 Soon every container was full to the brim! “Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons. “There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing. 7 When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, “Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.”

The woman and her sons demonstrated continual faith, and God did the rest . . . somehow as she poured from the small flask, it kept flowing until the last of the jars were full

here we see a the blessing matching her faith . . . every jar she borrowed was filled

And God blessed her with more than what she asked for, she not only saved her sons, but had enough to live on

Summary and Wrap up - When you are in trouble . . .

Turn to God - not to your own devices or the world’s way

Remember God can work with your except - God can do a lot with your little

gather as much faith as you can - it’s not a time to doubt, but a time to have faith

shut the door and poor the oil - put your belief in action

remember that faith is not always a one step process - walk it out all the way

Inviation - Is your soul in trouble?

unless you have lived perfectly by thought, word, and deed, your soul is in trouble of eternal damanation after death

the plan is the same for a soul in trouble:

Turn to God - he wants to get you off that road to hell, and he’s the only one that can h elp

Remember God can work with your except - there is nothing you can give in exchange for your soul, but God can work with your faith (we are saved by grace through faith)

gather as much faith as you can - believe God sent his son Jesus

believe God’s word that Jesus life, death, burial, and resurrection were sufficient to save you

shut the door and poor the oil - but you must repent of your sins for yourself, accept him, personal thing

remember that faith is not always a one step process - committ to living for him as the leader of your life, know that you are saved in an instant, but living out your decision for a lifetime