The Dean’s Message – Experiencing seasons of new beginnings…
The year 2008 has gone down in history as the crisis of the three Fs – Finance, Food and Fuel. The more than 100-year-old investment bank, Lehman Brothers, was forced into a shocked closure. Oil prices shot up to a dazzling height of more than US $100.The melamine tainted milk sold worldwide might have killed, who knows, more than 100 children. These global crises of epic proportions have given rise to discomfort, uncertainty and fear.
The crises of finance, food and fuel reminded me of the story in 2 Kings 4:1-7 about the poor widow and the prophet Elisha.
The poor widow had a crisis.
The finance was due, the debt outstanding… but the cheque book was negative. The family had no food. There were three hungry mouths to feed but the cupboards were bare. The fuel was almost gone and the whole house was empty except for an almost empty jar of oil.
In her desperation, the widow turned to the prophet Elisha.
Elisha asked her, “How can I help you?” And before she could even answer, he said, “Tell me, what do you have in your house?” …Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbours, even empty vessels; do not get a few. And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels…”
To experience the seasons of new beginnings, the widow had to do three things:
- She had to do what she was told – Fancy the widow and her children going to the neighbours to borrow empty vessels. What would the neighbours think? Isn’t there more than enough empty stuff? There’s already an empty cupboard, empty house and now, more empty vessels?
But the widow took the prophet Elisha at his word. As soon as she received directions from Elisha, she acted. She obeyed immediately. She obeyed implicitly. Even though the orders were unusual, she did not worry about what the neighbours would think! She obeyed inclusively. Step by step she carried out Elisha’s instructions.
A new beginning always starts with trusting and obeying God’s Word and His direction.
- She had to use what she had – It did not make much sense to pour out her few precious drops of oil into the empty vessels. But she did. When she stepped out with the little she had, God turned it into much. God uses what little we have, not what we do not have.
God can do great things with small resources. A little pebble from the brook can overthrow the great Goliath. A young maid can point the great commander, Naaman, in the direction of Elisha. A small meal of five loaves and two fish can feed the five thousand.
Are you small enough for God to use? In serving the Lord or in facing the trials of life, we have to use the resources we have and God will do the rest. We just have to do the natural and God will do the supernatural.
- She had to prepare in abundance – Elisha told her, “Don’t ask for just a few.” It would appear she cleaned out the village of every pot, pan, jar and bottle she could find.
God wanted to give the widow as much oil as she could expect or ask for. Expect abundance! Imagine the headlines in the local newspaper, “Widow discovers oil!”
The widow can sell the oil and settle her debt. With the money from the sale of the oil she can get enough food and more than enough fuel to keep the house warm.
It’s our expectancy that limits what God wants to do for us and through us. It was not the oil that ran out. It was the vessels! God is more than enough. God is more than adequate. God is more than generous.
When confronted by uncertainties and desperate situations in life, bring your empty jars before God. Whether it is an empty ditch, an empty well or an empty net, God will fill it and bring about a season of new beginnings.
To you as the graduating class, my congratulations for a season of new beginnings. Let this be a season of trusting God and obeying Him. Whatever you have learnt at Tung Ling Bible School, go and do what you have been instructed. Let this be a season of doing what God tells you to do, using what little resources you may have and you will experience faith instead of fear, fullness instead of emptiness, and abundance instead of famine and drought.
Ju Ong
Dean
