everybody say "KNOW the need, ASK for help, TRUST God for the rest.

Know the need, ask for help, trust God for the rest. Today we were talking about Power for Change: people and circumstances. We talked about 2 Kings 4 where there first was a woman whose husband had died, creditors came and wanted to take her sons as slaves. She went to Elisha and asked for help. He gave her directions to collect jars and fill them with oil (she only had a little oil to begin with) and then once filled she had to go out and sell them to pay the debt. Story 2 was a woman's son had just died. She went off to find Elisha and then Elisha went to the house locked himself in the room with the boy. Elisha prayed and prayed - laid down on the boy, prayed and paced, laid down on the boy again, the boy sneezes 7 times (i imagine right on Elisha's face since they were laying face to face) and the boy is raised up.

So I was teaching that these women - knew their need, they knew what part of their life needed change. Then they found out who to ask for help. Then finally they had to trust God for the rest. I wonder if the woman was a natural saleswoman - or if she was kind of timid to go around saying "i'm selling oil. you want to buy some". She trusted that she listed to God and he would come through. I can imagine the other woman pacing, maybe praying, maybe crying outside the door. Just waiting, trusting that God would come through. Probably thinking "i want to DO something".

So the kids and i repeated that over and over :know the need, ask for help, trust God for the rest. I think the last part is the hardest. It just is. We want a change in our lives. Are we willing to follow the directions whatever they are? Are we willing to wait and trust God is working it out? Aaaaaagh! I'm back in my "I want a house mode" I go through this every few months. I've identified what I want changed. I do want a home of my own. I do want to enjoy that. It is not the time yet. I need to put my money where my mouth and heart is. I haven't made that a priority. (i haven't really done my part like these women did). And trusting God's timing is hard. I feel like the woman outside the door. Not knowing what's going on the other side but knowing that it is good. Jorge just made a deal to trade his car for a horse. I have wanted a horse my whole life. I always said, that I would have a horse, some pasture, etc. We obviously can't keep it here, but we will keep it at a friends house. I kind of feel like the woman with the boy - when Elisha first prophecied over her saying "next year you will have a son" and she was like "don't tease me, if it's not true". I keep thinking maybe this is the beginning and soon I will have my little horse ranch (in the loosest sense of the word - at the most 2!). So trusting God is the hardest.