Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 Beyond the End

2 Kings 4:1-7
Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house, except a jar of oil.” 

The widow of the prophet comes to Elisha with a cry for help. Her heart is burdened. Her husband was a servant of the Prophet or he was in the company of the prophets, he was a man who feared the Lord, yet, he was not able to provide for his family. What he left behind when he passed on was debt and the insecurities related to it. The creditor has initiated the move to recover his loss by making the children his slaves Though it seemed inhuman, the Mosaic Law allowed the debtor to enslave  the children as far as the Year of Jubilee in order to work off the debt. Now the poor widow is totally helpless and at the verge of a breakdown. Life seems to have reached its end. But the divine intervention through Elisha helped her to move beyond her dire straits to a future with hope. The passage gives us two insights for us to face such challenges in our own lives.
What is it that we want? Question is regarding the clarity of the goal. In crisis situations though we want to get out of it, we don’t know how to. Aimlessly swimming will not help one to get out of the water, but one needs to swim to the shore. The need is to allow the emotions to settle down and to have a clarity of the aim. Once the goal is well defined, it is easier to achieve.
What resources do we have? Looking into the self to see the God given resources is the second step. She finds a jar of oil which could easily have been have overlooked. Her relationship with her neighbors helps her to pool the resources to expand on what she had. Go outside’ (v.3) is a call to move beyond our self to relate to others at the time of crisis and gather the possible resources. It’s a time to act. ‘Go in’ (v.4) denotes the need to be still and meditate to see the miracle happen. Miracle is not substituting human effort but seeing God acting on our efforts.

PRAYER
Caring God help us to have clarity of vision and awareness of our resources to face the challenges in our lives.
                                                   
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper. Psalm 72:12

Rev. Denny Philip
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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