Although my son Jonathan has special needs, he is quite witty, and his words are often wise. “I don’t watch the news because it is too depressing,” he explains when I try to get him to watch it with me. Then just as he grabs a snack and heads for his “man cave” his safe place in the basement, a story pops up on the news about a black man in Chicago being shot nearly 100 times by plainclothes police officers during a traffic stop over a seat-belt violation.

“How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked. But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’”  (2 Kings 4:43 NIV).

We May be in a Famine, but Everybody Will Eat!

In quoting my son, I am NOT suggesting that we bury our heads in the sand and ignore injustice, gun violence, political insanity, or any of the horror that is going on around us. But we should not allow ourselves to become depressed and feel defeated by our circumstances.

During the prophet Elisha’s time, circumstances became dire in Israel. There was a famine in the land (2 Kings 4:38). When a man gave the prophet 20 barley loaves, pancake-shaped pieces of bread about the size of pita bread, Elisha told his servant to give it to the people to eat. Now there were one hundred hungry men, and we don’t know if there were also many more women and children. The servant was perplexed! He was looking at the situation and possibly thinking, “These people are going to kill each other and me if I try to feed them all with this little bit of food!” But Elisha was looking at God. He said, in essence, “Give it to them. The LORD says, ‘Everybody’s going to eat and have some left over.’”

Today, there is craziness all around us! There is “famine” in the land. We are starving for equitable social justice, sensible gun laws, honest and sane politicians, unity, understanding, and cooperation among the factions of our society rather than polarization. But God is saying, “Don’t allow the gravity and ugliness of your circumstances, regardless of what they are, to depress you! Look at Me!” He is preparing a table before us in the midst of our desperate situation. You might see only a few pieces of bread on that table now, but if we look at Him rather than at the circumstances, he will shelter us in a safe place– and everybody will eat!”

Focus Quote: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” (Psalm 23:5 KJV).   

Reminders:  Please continue to join us at 5:14 p.m. each day as we pause to pray.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).