Participate in Your Own Liberation
Don’t judge me, y’all, but I have to confess that when I log onto church on Sundays and my pastor isn’t preaching (meaning there is a guest preacher), I log off. I know that I shouldn’t but do. However, today was different because when I found out that there would be a guest preacher, I did not log off. Something in my spirit said stay, and I did. Our guest pastor was Reverend Dr. Ann Lightner-Fuller, and y’all, let me tell you, she was on fire. She said what needed to be said, and as the young people say nowadays, “she left no crumbs.”
She read from 2 James 4: 1-7, and while many of y’all are already familiar with the story of the Widow and the Olive Oil,I will add it here for you to reference not only because it is the text she focused on today, but I will be referencing it as well.
“A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”
So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”
Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.”
So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”
And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”
I have so much to say about the widow: first the strength she had to exercise to seek help, and second how anxious she must have felt knowing that she would have to relinquish her sons to debtors who intended to enslave them to pay off the debt their father left when he died (Let’s talk about this later).
When Elisha asked her what she needed from him, she shared her dilemma, and when he asked her what she had that was hers, she did not reply “nothing”, she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” I won’t spend time recounting the entire story because you know how it ends, but what I will do at this time is ask you some questions, starting with this one: In your times of need, who are you consulting? Are you asking the right people for advice? And when you receive the advice, do you make the best of it, or do you make excuses?
You see, the widow did not make excuses. She took into account what she had in her possession, and because she needed help, she did what Elisha suggested that she do. You see, sometimes, we simply need to seek wise counsel from someone who can not only offer a new perspective but also a solution. That is what it looks like when we turn to God for direction in our lives. What I love about God the most, is that He leads with love. You see, He has no selfish notions or ulterior motives, for He has nothing to gain from us failing or quitting. It is us who have everything to gain by consulting Him and those who know Him.
Now that you know the story, I want to share my key takeaways from Reverend Dr. Ann Lightner-Fuller’s sermon. I’ll start with this one because it is so profound: “We have to participate in our own liberation.” If we want to be delivered, then we have to take an active part in our deliverance. Asking for help is only the first part. Y’all know that it is not enough to ask. We must also act, and we must believe that we can do what is needed to persist. Dr. Lightner-Fuller also talked about “Using what you got” to get where you need to be, and for years, I have been saying something similar: we have to take an honest inventory of our skills and talents, so that we are aware of what we possess so when the time comes, we are able to use everything in our arsenal to get through the times that seem too hard to overcome.
It was not lost on me that once the widow had done as Elisha suggested, she was blessed with enough to pay her debts and even had enough leftover to provide for herself and her sons. Y’all, isn’t this amazing? She went to Elisha, ladened with worry, and now she is free. She closed those doors and did the work to break free. Sometimes, we have to close some doors in order for God to open the right ones. We have to believe that it is all possible. Because doing so prepares us for and helps us recognize the Revised Life that without a doubt you deserve.
I eagerly await it for you and for me. And oh, what a beautiful day that will be. We are worthy of a burden-free life. This scripture resonates with me particularly because I know what it feels like to participate in my own liberation and to not blame someone else for why my life is not where it should be or what it could be. It is my responsibility to seek the right counsel, and do what is hard but necessary to come out free. I am sharing this here to inspire you to do the same.
