Tony Evans Speaks Out On Single Parenting by Tony Evans

Author:Tony Evans [ Evans, Anthony T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-57567-726-2
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 1995-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Here is the classic dilemma for people of faith, single parent or not. Are we going to obey God and get long-term blessing, or are we going to disobey Him for a short-term fix? A lot of us will settle for the latter because we have a hard time seeing with the eyes of faith. This may be even a bigger temptation for singleparent families, since the short-term prospects often do not look good and it seems crazy to risk what little they have.

This Gentile widow could have said no to Elijah and eaten her last meal. But she had a heart that was open to the God of Israel, and she acted on His word, not on her situation. Single parent, if all you see is your present situation, you are going to be controlled by it. What God wants you —and all of us, for that matter—to do is to learn to operate on His Word and not on our circumstances. I once asked a single mother how she was doing, and she said, “OK, under the circumstances.” Get out from under there. You don’t belong under the circumstances. What God wants you to do is to step out on His Word.

Now please don’t misunderstand. I am very much aware of the burdens single parents carry, and I am not into handing out easy answers. But what I’m talking about is real-world Christian living. I saw a practical example of what happens when we act on God’s Word. Another of the single parents in our church, who was concerned about her giving, came to me. Things were tight, but she wanted to honor the Lord. So we prayed about it, and I told her, “Well, just honor God with what you can.”

We talked awhile longer and she left. Soon after that she called to tell me about somebody who had died in her family and left her a large inheritance. Now I know what you’re thinking! But I am not going to tell you that if you give faithfully God is going to take out somebody in your family and dump a big inheritance on you. What I am saying is that this single mother honored God in her situation, and He honored her heart toward Him. She had a heart that wanted to obey God.

The widow of Zarephath also had a heart to obey God, and we read in verses 15–16 how God kept His promise made to her by Elijah. She and her son not only did not die but “ate for many days.” She didn’t get a big inheritance, but God kept her jar and bowl filled with enough flour and oil for each day’s need. That may be how He honors your obedience. The point is that God gave her what she did not have because she obeyed what God said. Before you complain about what God is not doing for you, your first question must be, “Am I doing what He told me

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