Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” -2 Kings 4:2
Any time spent watching the Food Network Channel reveals quickly that “EVOO” (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) is a staple in kitchens, and is the starting point for cooking many meals. In Biblical days, it wasn’t so different. Olive oil was a “miracle ingredient” and a staple for everyday life. They used it for fuel, lotions, medicine, and cooking.
In the story we’re going to read on Sunday, a widow is at her wits' end. She has lost her husband and her finances, and now she’s about to lose her sons to slavery. She has nothing to pay her creditors. All she has is a little bit of oil (something that had value). However, when that was empty, her last resource for light, heat, medicine, and food would also be gone.
No wonder she turns to Elisha for help!
But Elisha doesn’t produce a handful of shekels. He doesn’t turn to others to start up a collection. Instead, he asks her what she has; and he promises her that God will use what little she has to provide for her. As she follows his instructions, you can imagine that her despair was turned to hope. God provided for her! She could pay her creditors and live on what was left.
How many of you feel the same way? Sometimes we find ourselves in seemingly impossible and tragic circumstances. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed providing for our day-to-day needs. But what we are reminded of is that God is with us in both the big and small tragedies of our lives. He never leaves us without a way forward, even if we don’t understand it at the time.
That’s what I hope we discover as we gather together this week. My prayer is that you will sense the providing power of God in your life. God is faithful, and He will fill you up…even if all you feel you have is a little! May the words of Philippians 4:19 come alive for you: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
