As i’ve heard some of the old timers say, “this lady was in a pickle.” However, this widow ended up coming up with the money to pay off her debt and obtain a surplus of resources for her and her sons to live on. How did she do it? What can we...
Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel. And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So, the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest” (2 Kings 4:6-7).
I think it is safe to assume that many of us have experienced a lack of provision for something at some point in our lives. Not having the thing you need when you need it can be very troublesome. In 2 Kings chapter 4, we find a widow lady who is in desperate need of money to pay off her debt. Her creditor threatened to take her two sons as slaves if she didn’t come up with the payment for her debt. As i’ve heard some of the old timers say, “this lady was in a pickle.” However, this widow ended up coming up with the money to pay off her debt and obtain a surplus of resources for her and her sons to live on. How did she do it? What can we learn from her that will help us overcome any lack in our lives? There are four keys this widow used to conquer her financial lack and find financial freedom for herself and her two sons.
1. Seek
The first thing the widow did was seek advice from the prophet Elisha. God in those days spoke to people through prophets. Her seeking wisdom from the prophet was her seeking wisdom from God. The Word of God should be the first place all of us run to for wisdom. God knows exactly where our provision is and will guide us to it. We would save ourselves a lot of time and trouble if we would simply spend more time seeking the Provider and less time seeking the provision.
2. Submit
Elisha asked the widow what she had in her house (2 Kings 4:2). All she had was one jar of oil. I would say she was broke. Elisha told her to go borrow empty vessels from her neighbors everywhere and not to borrow just a few. He told her to pour the oil from her vessel into all the ones she borrowed from her neighbors. The widow submitted to the Godly wisdom and God provided.
We must submit to God’s Word. He has called us to live by faith. It is important that we don’t look to our own understanding because God’s ways are foolish to the world and to those who make their decisions solely on reason (Proverbs 3:5-6). The widow didn’t ask questions or try to reason with herself or the prophet of how her collecting empty jars would provide the money she needed to pay her debt. She simply submitted to God and God did the rest.
3. Shut
Elisha told the widow to close the door behind her and her sons while they poured the oil into the empty vessels (2 Kings 4:4). God was doing His best to shut the door on unbelief. Unbelief is the reason we sometimes have problems receiving from God. People have their opinions of why things will not work for us. People will do their best to convince us that we haven’t heard from God and that our dreams are impossible. If we are going to experience God’s blessings we must place all of our doubters on the outside of our lives and shut the door on them. We must protect our faith. We must surround ourselves with people who are full of faith if we are going to experience God’s bountiful provision in life.
4. Supply
Elisha encouraged the widow to gather more than just a few vessels. As long as the lady had vessels to pour the oil into the oil was present. The oil didn’t run out until the vessels ran out. Many times, we look at the lack of provision as the problem but that’s not the problem. The problem is the lack of vessels. God supplies the oil but we are responsible to supply the vessels. We are the vessels that God wants to pour His blessings on, in, and through. We must make ourselves available to God if we are going to receive from God (Isaiah 1:19). God’s supply of provision is limitless so it is important that we don’t limit Him with small thinking (Ephesians 3:20).