I am in the process of reading through a chronological one-year Bible. Because I lack discipline and reading speed, I am currently trudging through Leviticus (also known as February). I have tried to read this Bible for several years in a row, and Leviticus always wins. But this year, I am determined to get through it, even if I have to take a Sharpie to the cover and make it a chronological three-year Bible! The thing is, I don’t want to just get through Leviticus; I want to find some meaning in it. As I read through the specifications for the temple, the cleansing ceremonies for the priests, and the processes for sacrifices and offerings I realized that the function of these practices is to prepare the Israelites to be with God. Before God can bless his people with his presence, they must prepare themselves.
This idea of preparing for God’s blessing reminded me of the story of Elisha and the Widow’s oil. When I first read the passage in 2 Kings, I took note of the obvious lesson of God’s provision for his people. But more recently, I paid attention to the actions of the woman and her sons.
Now the wife of one of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my to children to be his slaves.” And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except for a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”
2 Kings 4:1-7
Can you imagine going from house to house, knocking on doors and asking for empty jars? I’m not sure if scavenger hunts were popular back in the day, but I’m pretty sure that would be this woman’s only chance of holding on to some sort of sanity in the eyes of her neighbors. I imagine her request for a jar would be immediately met with a question about why she needs a jar. At this point, she’s not even sure why she’s collecting jars. Elisha doesn’t reveal the plan to her until after she has carried out all of the instructions.
But the woman does it. She takes on the role of the town lunatic, walking from house to house, interrupting people’s days to ask for jars. Why? Because she knows that Elisha is a man of God, and she knows that in order for God to provide for her, she must prepare to receive his blessing. This is a woman of great faith! She seeks God and actively prepares for his blessing.
How often do I do that? Not very. Maybe not even at all. When I pray about something, I look for repeated confirmation of God’s response before taking any action. Maybe I’ve got it backwards. Maybe the reason that I haven’t had many confirmed yeses is because I haven’t prepared myself for a yes. I know that I can’t act in a way that will convince God that I am ready for his blessing, but I can act in a way that demonstrates my belief that God will grant me the desires of my heart.
In Mark, Jesus tells his disciples, “…whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24, ESV). Isn’t it interesting that Jesus tells us to believe that we have received it instead of telling us to believe that we will receive it? If we really believe that we have been given what we’ve asked, wouldn’t we immediately begin to live as though we have that blessing? How would our lives look different if we prepared for the Lord’s yes?
Yesterday, I went rock climbing with some friends. I’m not at all an expert at it, and I feel about as at ease in a rock gym as I do at formal events. Both are unfamiliar territories that require some uncomfortably binding contraptions. But I learned as the night went on that the key to climbing to the top is not necessarily strength or flexibility; it is the belief that you can get there. When your arms are shaking and your foot is slipping off of its hold, you have two choices. You can sit back in your harness and give up or you can act as if you have already won this battle and push yourself up the wall inch by inch until your hand reaches the ledge.
So pray. Believe. And climb on!
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