Except

God uses, God works with, God blesses what we have, not what we don’t have. What we have is enough for God.

Moses had a stick, a widow had a handful of flour and a boy had a lunch. The stick became the Rod of God – turned into a serpant, made water come out of a rock. The small handful of flour fed a woman and her son and Elijah thru a drought. 5 small loaves and 2 fish could feed 5000.

The size of what you have does not matter to God. It is your obedience, sacrifice and offering that matter.

In 2 Kings we read of a woman who was facing her sons being taken into slavery. Destitute and in despair she came to Elisha for help. Elisha asks her for what she has in her house. Could you imagine her astonishment – “if I had anything I wouldn’t be in this mess. I have nothing! I have nothing at all.” Emphatic. She was captive to her mindset that she has nothing. We’ve all been there – imprisoned by our circumstances and the facts as we see them.

But then she does add an exception…

She says I have nothing “EXCEPT” a small jar of oil.

In her “EXCEPT” was the key to her miracle. In her “EXCEPT” was the answer to her need.

It was her “EXCEPT” that Elisha, that God was looking for.

You might think “I don’t have what it takes to start a new business, except I keep getting ideas.”

I’m not like the big heroes of the Faith, but I did pray for that healing and it did happen.

I don’t know much about the Bible and I can’t preach but at work I said to someone “God loves you” and I invited them to church.

I don’t have much money to help people, but I did make that meal for my sick neighbour.

God works by exception. The exception proves the rule. He takes what we have, not what we don’t have or could have had, or long to have or even should have had. He takes what we have.

What do you have in your house, in your hand, in your heart?

Elisha tells the widow to ask for ALL the jars from her friends and neighbours and then to begin pouring her jar of oil into them. So, with her sons, in obedience and she takes her little jar, and she begins to pour. And she pours and she pours. And many jars are filled until there are no more jars. And only then does the oil stop flowing. She rushes out of the house – she is now rich!

She says to Elisha “God has met my needs.”

Elisha says “Go, sell the oil, pay your debts and live on the rest.”

She started with slavery – and ends with freedom.

It is the life that Jesus calls us to. That the Holy Spirit wants us to have .

A miracle! Free. And not just the immediate need met – but her life provided for!

God can do exceptional things with your exceptions.