This morning, we shall look into how God most of the time responds to the needs of His people based on what they bring to the table, and this message will also open our eyes and hearts to the understanding of how God deals with His own people.

From the beginning of ages, God has been willing to have a discussion, reasoning, bargaining with men in the midst of our frailty. Even though He owns all, and also puts men in charge of what He owns, God has never left any of His creation without something to become responsible for.

Truly, He owns everything and He can release what He has to anyone at any time, but this God that I have known, most of the time if not 100%, always wants you to also bring something to the table of discussion, to the table of agreement.

I can remember when the disciples were asking Jesus, “Why couldn’t we heal the boy whose mother brought him to them for healing?” and Jesus responded, “This cannot be done without fasting and prayer.”

Meaning, for you to be able to do this, then you must subject your body to fasting and praying – bring fasting and praying to the table and see if God will not grant you the power needed for such miraculous deliverance as this.

For Adam, as much as God released everything into his custody, God expected him to bring his heart of obedience to the table so that at least he would be able to take responsibility for his actions.

And the same thing goes for many of His own, such as Abraham, to whom all God wanted from him was to walk before Him and be blameless, and we know that if Abraham had behaved or walked contrary to the instructions of God, there would not have been the fulfillment of God’s promises to him.

The same thing goes for the household of Israel, to whom God wanted them to obey Him so that they could be blessed and also eat the riches of the land, and that was why God had to remind them in Deuteronomy 28:1-14 of His blessings and Deuteronomy 28:15-68 if they failed to fulfill their part of the agreement.

And the same goes for everyone with whom God had a covenant or promises within the word of God. One thing we must understand is that before there will be a fulfillment, there is something you also must bring to the table.

If God is willing to bless you, there is something that must catch God’s attention in your life that will convince God that you are ready to enter into your divine fulfillment. In other words, to receive from God or to have His promises become fulfilled in your life must also cost you something.

If you want God to keep His own side of the bargain, it is expected of you to also keep your own side of the bargain if you want the fulfillment of His promises as your end result.

There must be something, even though it is little, that God must connect to in your life, something small that God must connect His blessings to, His response to in your life, something such as a little faith, a little hope, a little belief.

There is something you’ve got to bring to the table. Something God will work with so as to bring out His best in you.

And that was what happened with a certain woman from among the wives of the sons of the prophets, who was looking for a solution because her sons were about to be enslaved, and Elisha the prophet asked her, “What do you have?” In other words, “I know you need help, but what do you have in the house? What are you bringing to the table?”

She responded that she had a jar of oil. She did not keep it back. She did not say, “I must not mention this because this is all I got.” She did not say, “What if the man of God takes it from me?” but she opened up.

Some of us find it difficult to open up. We find it difficult to let go. We just want to take from God, and when God asks us, “What do we have?” we have nothing to say, we have nothing to offer. I can assure you that those who bring something to the table will easily go back home rejoicing more than those who have nothing to offer to God.

Hence, the reason we must not come before Him empty-handed, for God will work with what you bring to the table. If it is your praise you’re bringing to the table, so be it. If it is your faith, if it is your worship, if it is your vow, if it is your offerings and giving, this moves God quickly to remember and to fulfill His promises over your life more than coming to Him empty-handed.

Let us look at it from the physical perspective. You cannot go and get a loan at the bank or from the lender without the lender asking for down payment or collateral. They want to know how committed you are and they want to know if you have what it takes to become qualified for what you are requesting. They want to know if their money will be in good hands.

God also pays attention to things like this to work with you, somebody. There is something you must bring to the table to move the hands of God, to move the heavens for your sake for divine fulfillment of promises and covenant.

In Numbers 14, God worked with the faith of Caleb and Joshua. In Luke 1, Mary brought her faith which was beyond measure and her virginity to the table. Samuel brought his obedience to the table. Phinehas brought his zeal to the table when God was angry with the household of Israel, and the anger of the Lord ceased and Phinehas got rewarded.

David brought his praise and his trust in Yahweh to the table, and God called him a man after His own heart. Jephthah brought his vow to the table and God gave him victory in the battle.

There is something God needs to work with, something that you have to bring to the table. I know you want power and encounter with the Holy Spirit, but for this to happen, you must bring your body to the table so that the Holy Spirit may overshadow and possess you.

I know you want blessings, but for the little you have to become multiplied, you must have the determination to open up about the little you have. For you to become healed from that sickness, you must summon your faith and gaze at Jesus for expected miracles.

He has not called the seed of Jacob to seek Him in vain. So bring yourself to the table and God will reason with you. That one bottle of jar oil can be multiplied into vessels of oil. If you can bring that token of yours to Him, God is ready to use it as a down payment to answer your request speedily.

Beloved, bring your vow to the table today. Bring your praise, bring your all to the table and let God have a deal that brings you into your fulfillment with you this morning. Exodus 23:15 says, “None of you shall appear before Me empty-handed,” so there must be something you have to bring to the table. Amen.