Aug | 05 | Dealing With ‘Blue Moons’

Key Word:- TRUST

Title:- Dealing With ‘Blue Moons’

2 Kings 4:23 So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.”

Nanci Griffith may have sung it, but it was written by Patrick Alver and Gene Levine. A delightful country music ballad called ‘Once in a Very Blue Moon'. Of course there is no such thing as a 'blue moon'. Originally, it meant something that would hardly ever happen, as in “We will have a blue moon, before such and such....” Moving on from the old saying though, a ‘blue moon’ eventually became the name for the third full moon in a season (three months) of four full moons. Then, in the early to mid 1900's it became the name of the second full moon in a month. Complicated isn’t it?! My point is this friends, in the great scheme of the intergalactic timing of things, blue moons may be reasonably common, but they are not everyday occurrences! Have you got that?

In the same way, concerning or lives, there is nothing that happens to us that is not common to mankind. However, occasionally, we all experience to some degree something that is not an every day occurrence. It's unusual, it's a ‘blue moon’ kind of occurrence and there is something in it's unexpectedness, in it's unusualness, that just might cause us to halt, shudder, fail or fall. Nancy Griffiths sings:

There's a blue moon shinin'
when I am reminded of all we've been through
Such a blue moon ... shinin'
Does it ever shine down on you?
You act as if it never hurt you at all
Like I'm the only one who's gettin' up from a fall
Don't you remember?
Can't you recall?
just once ... in a very blue moon

In our verse today a Shunammite woman has for years been providing lodging for the itinerant ministry of Elisha the prophet. A childless mother, she had for years, for her concern, by the grace of God and through the prayerful intervention of the prophet,  received a 'prophets reward' in the form of a lovely little son, even a son of her husband's old age. This son of their old age, she both loved and hungrily embraced.

Once in a very ‘blue moon day’ this marvellous and unexpected gift of God, early one bright mid-morning, complained of a terrible headache. He was taken indoors and with his head in the lap of his mother and with his eyes squeezed up in pointed pain,  groaned and groaned and quickly died. With pent up fury and the silent determination of a nuclear submarine leaving harbour for deep waters of conflict, she rises from her sobbing seat, quietly closes the door behind her and sets her face towards both the cause and the answer to all her problems. Her countenance betrays her speedy but organised exit, yet when asked about the possibility of trouble, she determinedly replies 'all is well' to those who voice their concern. Saddling the donkey, silently she slips out of her devastated harbour. The Shunamite sets sail in but one direction……. Elisha the prophet!

Ignoring everything and everyone she arrives at her destination and literally launches herself at his feet, tackling the unsuspecting prophet almost to the ground. BOOM! “Did I ask a son of my lord? BOOM! Did I not say, 'Do not deceive me'?” BOOM! These explosive questions are the summary of all the painful pleadings, of all the fearful longings and shattered expectations of her broken heart. What has been hidden from Elisha as he viewed the determined and directed steps of the approaching storm of sadness raging with anger and crashing against the staring eyes of the Shunamite, submerged and dangerous in the periscope depth of her attacking distress, is now fully revealed to him and in that revelation he responds and so departs to attend to the problem.

Friend, when a blue moon rises in your sky, close the door on the problem, saddle up your horses, go to Jesus, launch yourself at His feet, let it all out, hang on to Him and DO NOT LET GO. Insist He comes personally to attend to the matter. Insist on it!

Call this approach to your unusual problems what you will but I call it a solution!

Go and get Jesus! Go and get Him now.

Listen:- He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out. 2 Kings 4:35-37

Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, "for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue." Then Jesus went with them. Luke 7:1-6 NKJV

 Pray:- Lord, help me to run to You and hang on to You when any blue moons rise in my sky. Help me to pray and pray and pray and listen for the solutions in all the sneezing’s of my life! I plead and implore, beg and insist that You come back to my house dear Jesus and fix all my blue moons today. Amen.