Wednesday, October 24, 2007

"Running on Empty"

(2 Kings 4:1-7)
"Did you know that emptiness can be a wonderful gift? That's the lesson a destitute woman learned from the prophet Elisha.
One day Elisha meets a woman with nothing - no husband, no income, no food, no prospects. The prophet tells her to gather what she has, and she returns with a jar of oil and several empty jars from neighbors. Elisha begins to pour her oil into the empty jars, and he just keeps on pouring until all the jars are full. Only then does the oil in the first jar run out. Interestingly, the woman gets as much oil as she has empty jars.
There is something about "nothing" that moves God's hand. He loves leading us to empty places where we can lean on nothing except His provision. If we are not experiencing God's presence and provision, could it be that we aren't empty enough? Could we still be distracted and dependent on ourselves? This story teaches us that...
1. Emptiness is a gift from the Lord.
2. Emptiness tells us we have a need.
3. It is possible that we may not be empty enough.
4. We must admit our emptiness.
5. Only God can truly fill us."
Dr. John Maxwell, The Maxwell Leadership Bible

1 comment:

Alice C. Linsley said...

Yes, I find this to be true in my own life. Why even the Lord Jesus emptied himself!