2 Kings 4:42-44
Elisha had just returned to Gilgal where there was a famine (2 Kings 4:38). A man from Baal Shalishah graciously brought Elisha twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. In this story, we see two people who demonstrate faith and obedience.
First, the man from Baal Shalishah displayed tremendous faith by offering his first ripe grain, not knowing if another harvest would follow after this batch. Second, Elisha obeyed God and did not withhold the bread for himself in spite of the famine. Instead, he trusted in God’s promise that there would be more than sufficient bread for the 100 men. And it was fulfilled according to the word of the Lord.
When I (Lara) was deciding what college to go to, I faced a lot of anxiety, fearing I would make the wrong decision and somehow step out of God’s will. Throughout my senior year of high school, I prayed constantly, knowing that the Lord would reveal Himself to me through prayer and His word. When the time finally came to make a final decision, the Lord made it abundantly clear that He was leading me to Biola University. Even so, I had a lot of fears about going to Biola. I still did not know exactly what career I wanted to pursue, and Biola was an expensive, private school.
How will I pay for this? What if I spend all this money at Biola and still don’t know what career path I want? I don’t know anybody at Biola; what if I have trouble making friends?
These are just some of the fears that flooded my mind at the time. But the Lord granted me strength and courage to follow His lead. He taught me to walk by faith and trust in His unrelenting love for me. I attended Biola for four wonderful and rewarding years and found many reasonable methods by which to fund my education.
Sometimes, the Lord encourages us to take a path that seems scary, confusing, or just downright nonsensical. In these moments, it is crucial to remember that everything we have belongs to God. Each of us has only one life, and God alone must be the cornerstone. Living by faith and not by sight puts God in the proper position in our life.
Reflection Questions
- What is God calling you to do that requires a step of faith?
- Do you trust that God will provide and that He is in control of your situation?
- Ask God for faith and to help you not be overwhelmed by your ‘famine-like’ situation, but be able to take the step of faith.