What Do You Have?
Updated: Apr 12, 2022
2 Kings 4:1-7
One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the LORD. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.”
“What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?”
“Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replied.
And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors.
Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.”
So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another.
Soon every container was full to the brim! “Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons. “There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing.
When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, “Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.”
God wants to use what we have at hand to glorify him and provide for us. What is it that we have at hand? Our life? Our gifting? Our talent? What about our wealth?
Are we willing to offer up whatever God wants to use on our behalf to glorify Him?
2. God wants to partner with us in the process. The widow and her sons had to do some work, they had to do exactly what God asked of them.
Are we willing to roll up our sleeves and do the work God asks of us?
3. God wants us to pay our debts. The widow was told to sell the miraculous supply of oil and pay her debt.
Are we willing to do what is necessary to pay our debts?
I found this last point personally challenging. The last three years I have been secretly hoping the government would pass a bill to forgive student loans. I don’t agree with this in principle, but I have been willing to make an exception because I have a student loan to pay back.
God is convicting me on two points; One, that I would go against my conviction to serve myself. And Two, that I don’t want to honor what I vowed to repay.
I don’t want to repay the loan. It’s that simple. But I vowed to do so, not just to the loan company, but also to God. To not repay the loan is breaking a vow. What kind of testimony is that?
Do I believe God will supply my need as I have need? YES
Am I willing to allow God to get the glory in the process? YES
I know that I will grow deeper in my faith as well. because God is Faithful!