'IN TIMES LIKE THESE'

THIS MIGHT WELL BE ME, taking stock of diminishing 'water' in our little stream of Provision

Certainly it could be Elijah, as he took stock of his own little stream slowly drying up.

BUT Elijah - though he may have been praying about it - showed no sign of that he was preparing to leave, even with the situation worsening daily with minimal food and less and less life giving WATER.

God had told him to STAY, put you see, and Elijah was obedient.

I am thinking, of course, of the narrative found in the Old Testament of the Bible in the Book of  First Kings chapter 17.    Elijah hung on and did nothing.     THEN, out of the blue, so to speak, God spoke to him.    God told him to get up, and go to Zeraphath, where he would find a widow woman who would sustain him.     AND  SO, Elijah just got up to go away from the brook Cherith, and the Ravens, to find the Widow Woman, and a new life.     Would this be good for him?  Would he be more 'comfortable' there?

Well Elijah did as God told him.    He found the Widow Woman, gathering a few sticks for her fire.

"Hello there!  I say, sister, bring me a little water in a cup."  and as she turned to do  his bidding, he called after her saying "Oh, and while you are getting the water, please do bring me a little bread in your hand."   Elijah did not know this woman; had never seen her before, but expected her to do all he asked quickly and willingly.       BUT, this woman was facing death.    Her little 'Cherith' had already dried up, and she was at the end of her rope.   She had just been gathering a few sticks to light a last little fire, to cook the last little meal for herself and her little boy, before they both laid downs to die.    She had nothing; she could not even sustain herself and child, let alone Elijah -  but it was still more than Elijah had at that moment.

What was HE thinking, as she share here calamity with him?    Humanly it must have seemed as if he had been tossed out of the frying pan and into the fire.   BUT GOD had spoken and told him to come, and that this despairing, destitute woman would sustain him!!     How could GOD lead him deeper into Want and NEED?    Why not just let him die where he was?    It does seem, at times, as if God piles on the agony instead of relieving us of our distress.

ELIJAH, tired and dusty, and weak, from his journey, let the Widow finish her complaint, and then says again to her  - "Don't fear, but just go and do as I have asked you, for Thus says the Lord God of Israel, your flour and oil will not fail you, till the rain come again upon the earth."    THEN  the widow turned and went to do as he asked, and they together with her son ate many days.......

IF ELIJAH had not regarded the word God spoke to him, and obeyed it, acting upon it, then neither he nor the Widow of Zeraphath would have lived, or found themselves experiencing the 'very present help of God in time of trouble' in new and ever expanding ways.  

Later in this narrative we find the son of the Widow woman fallen sick, and she in distress, blames Elijah and his God,    And he silently enters the room where the child lay dead, and praying he 'stretched' himself three times upon the boy, still praying as he did so, and the child revived, so that he carried him down to his mother alive and well.       THEN did the Woman cry out with joy and faith..

This was an enormous leap forward for Elijah.      There is no record that he had ever before prayed and seen the dead raised up.   It was a 'first' for him.      And for the Woman it was to be the seal upon her faith, and she found her self established and grounded in the knowledge of the One and Only God, where before she had doubted.   God is never satisfied to leave us where we are, at any time, He requires us to continue to grow up into the full knowledge of Himself, and will for ever stir us up to move on in newness, and into wider pastures and vaster vistas.

SO, what will be our response I wonder.     Now that our little stream is seeming to be struggling to maintain its spate, and we face our very existence challenged as we seek to keep our four Family Homes together as ONE Family.     Not that we are failing in our our common joy or happiness.     But we are all straightened, yet still in the hands of our God and Saviour, and thus safe, and able to STAND against all our enemy's fiery darts, and even against the ever rising tide of iniquity that seeks to overwhelm and even cover up every Memorial to Righteousness around us.

YES, in one aspect nothing will change.    The Principle remains -  our faith in GOD to sustain us, without out help.     Just a few days ago the Lion's Club of Eldoret once more visited us unexpectedly and brought us donation of many needed and basic items that were all immediately needed and looked for.  Thank you Lions.   God has used you at many crucial moments to feed our hungry kids.

Such a great provision, that has helped us feed our 130 family members in our four homes through the week.     The Lions did not know our need.     But God prompted there coming.    And thus they were, unknown to themselves the vehicle of our Blessing in God.      What can we say......'He who watches over His People neither slumbers nor sleeps', and we can be sure He will care for us as we continue to trust only in Him.   

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ON THURSDAY, Esther, seen in the photograph with Manu, had her first cycle of Chemotherapy.      I was with her, for the two and half hours that it took, and also Daryl and Senge were with us.    It all went very well, with no apparent ill effects, and until today she has continued to feel well and happy.   She sleeps well.   However  she is feeling more tired during the day, than before, and today says she has no appetite for food.     We expected this, and we shall see what can be done to help her, since she has to keep  up her strength.    But on the whole she is looking and feeling well.     She has three weeks until the next cycle which will be on the 16th June.     She has eight altogether.

The photo was taken just before.   Manu has been in Tenwek for his monthly eye check up, and then went up to Nairobi to look into the 'ins and outs' of learning Braille, and related matters; it seems now a real possibility that he will become totally blind by the end of the year, or soon afterwards.    A big disappointment , but as usual he has taken it in his stride, and with his usual optimism.

This week the School is on Half term, so all to the children are at home, enjoying themselves.  The weather is a bit mixed, with thunderstorms at night, but sunshine in the daytime.    Not bad at all.

DARYL's eldest child Jesse was 24 last Monday, and he is near to Graduate from his Engineering degree course.     He seems  to have been doing well.    I seem to have dangled him on my knee just yesterday!

Rev. Dr, Sam Kirui will be with us as from Monday this coming week, for about a week.   We are looking forward to seeing him again.    He will be coming to us via The Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda where he has been ministering and attending Meetings.

AND out son Michael and grandson Liam have now returned to England after a fortnight with us.  Liam actually attended Testimony School whilst he was he, in the 4th Grade.   It was so good to see and have them both; we had not met in the flesh for seven years, and now Liam is nine years old.    

We have again had gifts via AENON come to us and we Thank, with all our hearts, each and every one who sent to us.    God will bless ever shilling, and make it count.   And we are also praying for you all in Uk especially at this time of escalating costs on every front.    Truly God has to be our Salvation and Help.    May He be close to all of us, our HOPE and expectation.

Lovingly in His Name

John, Esther, and Daryl Green