We see an example of this in Mark 11:2-4. Jesus said to His disciples, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' you say, 'the Lord has need of it;' and immediately he will send it back here." And they went away and found a colt tied at the door outside in the street; and they untied it...and they brought the colt to Jesus. (NAS)
Notice first of all that Jesus had a need in His ministry. He needed transportation. Notice also that God had already arranged for that need to be met - there was a colt. Jesus was very specific about what He wanted: a colt that no man ever rode. So, as the need arose, God was a step ahead in preparing to meet that need.
Jesus gave His disciples explicit instructions and the Bible says they went. Stop and think about it for a moment. If Jesus said to you, "The car you're looking for is two blocks from here on the corner, go and get it." Would you be quick to obey without hesitation? We like to analyze everything. "How will I know the car will be there when I get there?" "What color is it, God?" "What if somebody is in it?" By the time we get through questioning God's instructions, we would get there too late and the car would be gone.
If the disciples had rationalized Jesus' instructions, the man with the colt would have already left. What am I saying? Being in the right place at the right time is vitally important in having a need met. God always provides for your needs, but we must be obedient to His instructions without analyzing or questioning Him. Your responsibility is to believe God, believe His Word and act on it!
We see another example in Mark 14:12,13: And on the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?" And He sent two of his disciples, and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him." (NAS)
Follow a man carrying a pitcher of water? You mean some guy just walks around town carrying a pitcher of water all day saying, "Hear ye, hear ye, I am the man with the pitcher of water in his hand, anyone looking for me?" Don't you know the disciples were thinking, how do we know he'll still have the pitcher in his hand when we get there? What does this guy do, stand around 24 hours a day with a water pitcher in his hand looking for disciples?
The disciples went. It doesn't even say, "And they reasoned among themselves." That takes a lot of faith! They were obedient to the Lord's instructions and the need was met. They found the man with the pitcher in his hand and he led them to the house for the Passover dinner. They were in the right place at the right time.
Once again, Jesus had a need in His ministry. He needed a place to celebrate the Passover. When the need arose, the provision for that need was already waiting for them. There was a man with a pitcher of water in his hand waiting to meet that need, but timing was essential!
If you stand around discussing, analyzing and trying to figure out why God wants you to do certain things, then you may miss the guy with the pitcher in his hand. He's not going to stand there all day waiting for you to finally decide, "Well maybe this is God and I should obey." You've got to respond without hesitation if you're going to have your needs met.
God always has a colt for you that no man ever rode. God always has a man with a pitcher in his hand. For every need you have, there is a provision! In order to be in the right place at the right time, you must fellowship with God so you can hear His instructions. Don't go around town asking everyone, "Are you the man with the pitcher in his hand?" Let God show you. It's wonderful when you're in the right place at the right time, the divine connection has been made and you're need is met.
However, I want to share with you something deeper than that. Most Christians spend their entire lives looking for the man with the pitcher in his hand, but I've got a better way of life to suggest to you today: Be the man with the pitcher in his hand!
Meeting the need for somebody else is Christianity at its best! It's wonderful to receive, but it's even greater when you get to be the one blessing others. "Oh, Brother Jerry, let's talk about getting it first, we'll talk about giving it later." No, that's the wrong mentality. When you start giving, God will give back to you all you can handle!
Genesis 12:2 says, "... and I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing." Why does God want you blessed? So, you can be a blessing. What is a blessing? An instrument through which God's divine favor flows bringing peace, joy and happiness and preventing misfortune in the lives of others. This is the way God wants you to live.
You can read Genesis 12:2 like this, "I will empower you to prosper so that through your prosperity, you can bless others." In reality, all you are is a clearinghouse. A distribution center. It comes to you, and goes through you.
Several years ago, I went to preach at a small church in South Texas with only a handful of people. After the service was over and I was getting ready to drive back home, the pastor said, "Brother Jerry, we just want to bless you and Carolyn personally. Don't use it on the ministry, this is for you and Carolyn. Use it on something you and Carolyn would like." And he handed me a check for $1000. I thought that's a lot of money for that handful of people to bless us with and I didn't want to receive it, but he told me to practice what I preach and don't rob them of their blessing.
So, as I was driving home, I began thinking of all I would like to spend that money on. I could see myself in a new leather jacket to wear on my motorcycle. In fact, the more I thought, I already had Carolyn's part spent. I could think of a dozen things that I could spend that money on.
When I got home, Carolyn was still up and she said, "Oh, I'm so glad you got here before midnight." l said, "Why?" She said, "Well, there's a couple here and they are being evicted from their home. They've got to have $1000 by midnight or they'll be run out of their home, and I just believe that we're supposed to help them."
I said, "I've got $1000 right here that was given to us personally to use on whatever we want." She said, "That belongs to them. Let's get over there and keep them from having to move."
We drove to their house and saw all four of their little children carrying boxes out to the car. Everybody was packing. When we walked up, one of the children said, "Brother Jerry, what are you doing here?" l said, "Come on, kids, we aren't moving tonight. Let's take it back in the house."
We moved those folks back in their home and paid the $1000 they needed and I want you to know that was the best sleep I'd had in years. The joy that we saw on those little kid's faces who didn't have any idea where they were going and the parents with tears pouring down their cheeks - nothing replaces the joy of "being the man with the pitcher in his hand".
What were we doing? Preventing misfortune in the lives of others. God allowed us to be blessed so we could be a blessing. That is the greatest joy you'll ever know in your life.
You may be thinking, "Well, if I'm blessed and I give it all away, what about me?" Proverbs 11:24 says, "There is one who scatters (or distributes) yet increases all the more." The law of increase. You cannot outgive God. You distribute and it creates increase. One translation says it is possible to give it all away and yet become richer.
The Bible says that the one who withholds his blessings or refuses to give results in want or poverty. Anything you compromise to keep, you ultimately lose. If God tells you to bless someone, be quick to obey and bring peace, happiness and joy in someone's life.
Which is more fun: Always looking for the man with the pitcher in his hand, or being the man with the pitcher in his hand? From here on out, never again ask God to just meet your needs. From now on say, "God, empower me to prosper!" Why? Because if all you get is your needs met, then you can't be a blessing. Empowered to prosper means your needs will be met and you'll have plenty left over to bless others.
Be the man with the pitcher in his hand. Get involved in blessing others and God will see to it that every desire of your heart is met far above anything you could ever ask or think. Why does God want you blessed? To be a blessing!
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Dr. Jerry Savelle was an average, blue-collar man who was struggling and needed God's help. While he considered himself a "nobody," when he became a believer God told him not to worry about it because He was a master at making champions out of nobodies. God has since taken Dr. Savelle from being a constant quitter to a man who knows how to stand on the Word of God until victory is experienced. Because of the life-changing combination of God's faithfulness and Dr. Savelle's "no quit" attitude, his life is totally different than it was thirty-eight years ago.
