We wait for a special 'feeling', a door to open, somebody to help us, even a 'spiritual unction'.
We wait for a business idea to be successful, for a partner to assist us, for somebody to fund us, or even just a bit of encouragement.
We wait for an inheritance, for people to stop messing us about, for a dream to be accomplished, or just for someone to let us get on and do what we know we should be doing.
We wait for a better day, a more comfortable situation, for someone to support the plans we have, and for the vision that we once had to be fulfilled.
And God says, "What is in your hand Moses?"
And the prophet says, "Bake me a cake," when there was not food enough in the house.
And another prophet asks, "What is in your house right now?"
And Jesus says, "Bring what you have to me."
All Moses had was a dead old stick which he used for leading the sheep out into the wilderness, and for knocking stones off the path. It was like many other dried up sticks scattered around the area with no glamorous looks or any material value whatsoever. Moses needed something that would show that he had authority with God and power on earth.
'And the LORD said unto him, What is in your hand? And he said, A rod [a dead old stick].
'That will do!' 'And Moses threw down his stick to the floor, and it became a wonder in his hands that would show forth the power of his God. (Exodus chapter 4)
The widow had a little oil in a small bottle and a few spoonful's of flour in an old jar. Neither would have raised a coin at auction, let alone saved her and her son from starvation.
'That will do!' said the prophet, 'But make me a little cake first, and bring it to me, and afterwards make for you and for your son. For thus says the LORD God of Israel, The tub of flour shall not diminish, neither shall the bottle of oil run dry, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.' (1Kings chapter 17)
She baked a cake and gave her last source of food to a stranger: but from that day, her oven never stopped baking cakes through the miraculous and continual supply of divine resources.
Another widow woman had a jar of oil sat on the window-sill doing absolutely nothing but sitting there. It was not enough for her to trade even for a loaf of bread, nor would anyone really want it after she had left it there for so long.
'And Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? tell me, what have you in the house? And she said, Your handmaid has not got any thing in the house, except a pot of oil.' (2Kings chapter 4)
'That will do!' Then the widow woman borrowed as many containers as she could pack into her kitchen and started to pour out the oil. The oil became a river of abundance to meet all her needs.
The disciples looked for a miracle but ended up with just five small loaves and two little fish. These things had no relevance to the needs of the five thousand men and their families who were waiting to be fed. They would be a point of mockery and laughter if anyone suggested that these were the answer to such a great need.
And the disciples said to Jesus, We have here just five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them here to me.' (Matthew 14: 15-21)
'That will do!' And the disciples took those empty baskets and began to feed the crowd. That was enough! The miracle ran on until everyone was fed, including themselves and their families!
Our total nothingness, our smallness, our insufficiency, is met with God's unlimited resources, when we are prepared to pour out the little we have or just simply do what he says.
Chuck it on the floor, pour it out, give it away, share it around. None of these actions would sound like a right or sensible piece of advice when it was totally obvious that what was in their hands was utterly insufficient to meet the huge challenges in front of each of them.
But until we trust and obey, and get up and do what God says, we will never see the miracle that we need. The rich man may not come to your help because he has lost sight of what is valuable; but God is richer than all the rich men put together.
What is in your hand? What is in your house? What unimagined door of treasure might be hidden in the field of your lost expectations?
What are you waiting for? The miracle might be right in front of you: it usually is. Don't wait for someone else to come along to make it happen. Don't trust in the rich man, for he will just disappoint you. Trust in God. The rich man is lost in his own greed and selfish pursuits.
Take what you have, not what you do not yet have, and bake a cake, pass it on, give it away, pour it out. Do not leave it on the shelf or in your plans of 'one day I shall do something'.
You can choose to accept things the way they are, even give up on everything because nobody is coming to help you;
OR you can take the little that you do have, and cook a cake for God, and then see what he does!
If God tells you to go and do something, then it is his responsibility to provide all that will be required. He is waiting for us to do what he says.
Until then the miracle will just have to wait.
JGM 2022 Just telling it like it is.
