In Gilgal there was a theological college run by a Principal named Elisha, who is described as “the man of God”. The student population of 100 was known as “the sons of the prophets”. These one hundred students were in danger of starving as there was famine in the country. Then, a very wonderful thing happened. An anonymous man arrived on the scene quite unexpectedly with a sack of fresh grain and 20 loaves of barley for Elisha. Elisha asked his servant to distribute the food to the students. His servant exclaimed, “Feed 100 people with only this is not enough.” Elisha repeated, “Give it to the students so they can eat, for the Lord says there will be plenty for all.” And sure enough, there was plenty for all and some left over, just as the Lord had promised. In this episode we learn the following lessons.
God provides for His people in accordance with His Promise.
Notice in verses 43-44, “…thus saith the Lord”, and “… according to the word of the Lord”. Over and over again in the Bible God has promised to provide for His children, and every promise is valid. Not one of His promises has ever failed or ever will fail. Our Lord Jesusassured us that our Heavenly Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him (Matt. 6:8). He is constantly caring for and seeking the best for us – a reminder that in times of hardship, need and fear, we are assured of Someone who will take care of us. We can turn to Him in our times of need. What God promises, He will provide according to His promise. Charles Spurgeon said, “The Creator will not cheat the creature who depends upon His truth; and far more, the heavenly Father will not break His word to His own child”.
The original owners of the fabulous Mt. Morgan gold mine in Queensland, Australia, toiled for many years on its barren slopes, eking out a frugal living, unaware that beneath their feet lay one of the richest mountains of gold the world has ever known. Their potential wealth was incalculable, but they lived on the bread line – all because they were ignorant of the wealth they possessed. The same is true of many Christians. We fail to appropriate them – the many wonderful promises of God.
God provides for His people in answer to our Prayers.
There is no doubt that Elisha and the students at the college prayed to God in their extremity. It was because Elisha had been in prayer about the matter that he was able to say, “Thus saith the Lord…” (verse 43); so let us notice that although God promises to supply our needs, He waits for us to pray that He will do so.
Why is this so? One reason is to keep us dependent upon Him. If we find our supplies running short, it is in order to cast our needs to Him. God always gives to us in answer to prayer – either our own prayer or that of someone else. This is very much illustrated in the lives of Elijah and Elisha. Peterwrote that we can cast all our cares upon Jesus, because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). We pray; quietly sometimes and aloud other times. We are to pray always all the time.
Dr. Leon Morris noted, “It is not possible for us to spend all our time with the words of prayer on our lips, but it is possible for us to be all our days in the spirit of prayer, realizing our dependence upon God for all that we have and are, realizing something of His presence with us wherever we may be, and yielding ourselves continually to Him for the doing of His will. Where there is such an inward state, it will find outward expression in verbal prayer, and in this connection we should notice the frequent ejaculatory prayers throughout Paul’s letters. Prayer was so natural and so continual with the great Apostle that it found its way inevitably into his correspondence.”
God provides for His people according to His Providence.
The students may have waited patiently and the food arrived to them at the right moment. Waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled is part of trusting Him. No matter how long the delay, we must wait for Him. God always performs what He promises. His help and promises never come too late. Verse 42 tells us that “there came a man from Baal-shalisha…” The man’s name is not mentioned, nor are any details given about him. This reminds us of the fact that frequently God does not provide for our needs in the way that we expect or think probable. In our times of extremity we say, “So-and-so could help” and yet how often the help comes not from “So-and-so” at all but from “Baal-shalisha.
Who would have thought that Elijah would have been fed by ravens and sustained by a poor widow. But such was the case. God’s resources never run dry. His giving never impoverishes Him. He is never at a loss to know of some method for supplying your need and mine, and frequently His method is quite different from what we expect. The Lord Jesus fed five thousand, but He did it through the disciples. On the Day of Pentecost, the Lord saved 3,000 souls through the preaching of Peter and others. Paul’s needs were constantly met through the sacrificial giving of the Christians in the early church.
God provides for His people according to His Power.
If Jesus had fed five thousand with five loaves and two fishes, there was no problem for Elisha to multiply twenty loaves to feed one hundred men, for the same power that multiplied a mountain of food was there to help Elisha furnish a table for a College of young people.
As we rely on the Lord on the same principles of “trust and obey”, we have seen God’s Almighty Hand supplying the needs of our church through 41 years, without fail. We have never been driven to that tight spot of writing “prayer” letters to beg for funds. In the words of Hudson Taylor, “God’s work, done in God’s way, shall not lack God’s support”. But “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 33). The supply for Elisha and the students was more then enough. It is vital to take time today to connect with the Lord. He will show us what He can do through His strength. Those who let God provide will be satisfied.
You will also be creating precious memories that will last a lifetime.
Realize that becoming a grandparent isn’t just another phrase of your life. It is a God-given calling. Take full advantage of the great opportunity to influence another generation of children in your family. View your investment in your grandchildren as one of the best investments opportunities you’ll ever have.
Sharon Bible Presbyterian Church 