You Have What You Need
So, Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” (2 Kings 4:2, NKJV)
How many times has God impressed upon you to do something, and you felt you did not have the resources or finances to accomplish the assignment?
Your first question is, “Lord, did I hear correctly?”
Your second question may be, “How will I do this?”
Your third statement is, “I can’t do this. I don’t have any experience.”
And then, your fourth statement may be, “Nobody’s going to buy the product, or nobody’s going to listen to me.”
Yet, sounding like Moses (who had many excuses), you heed the word of the Lord and move in obedience.
Well, the widow in 2 Kings 4:1-7 may not have had all these questions, but the one thing she did have was an obedient nature.
The story begins with this widow who comes to Elisha, a prophet of God, seeking help. Her husband had died, and she could no longer pay her debts, so her creditors threatened to take her sons as slaves. Elisha, moved with compassion, asks her what she has in her house. She replies that all she has is a jar of oil. Elisha then tells her to gather as many empty jars as she can from her neighbors, shut herself up in her house with her sons, and begin pouring the oil into the jars.
The widow obediently follows Elisha’s instructions, and miraculously, the oil keeps flowing until all the jars are filled. She sells the oil and uses the proceeds to pay her debts and provide for her family. This miracle not only saved the widow from her financial distress but also strengthened her faith in God and Elisha.
I’ve come to remind you today that everything you need is within your house – your temple – the place where Holy Spirit dwells. God will not ask you to do something and not give you what you need to carry out His will. He will always equip and provide, whether it be through a person or a thing. Sometimes, He will even take the world’s foolish things to shame the wise – those who think they have a monopoly on wisdom. (1 Corinthians 1:27, NKJV)
The story of Elisha and the widow’s oil reminds us of God’s faithfulness and provision. It encourages us to trust God, obey his commands, and lean on our community for support. But above all, this story points us to Jesus, the source of all our blessings and the only one who can fulfill our deepest needs. And so, let us hold on to this story as a reminder that God is always with us and that he can turn our dire situations into miracles.
Join me next week for more Coffee on The Couch.