Scriptural Foundation:
2 Kings 4:1-7 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Now one of the wives of a man of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha [for help], saying “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant [reverently] feared the Lord; but the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves [in payment for a loan].” Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have [of value] in the house?” She said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a [small] jar of [olive] oil.”
Then he said, “Go, borrow containers from all your neighbors, empty containers—and not just a few. Then you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out [the oil you have] into all these containers, and you shall set aside each one when it is full.” So she left him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing her the containers as she poured [the oil]. When the containers were all full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” And he said to her, “There is not a one left.” Then the oil stopped [multiplying]. Then she came and told the man of God. He said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”
Reflection:
I have always done what was expected of me and followed the formula that allegedly ensured success. Went to school, got good grades, obtained my masters, and got a job. It wasn’t until I worked a while I noticed that “formula” seems to be bias. Despite doing what was right, I was treated unfairly. It was easy to blame individuals that administrated the unfairness, but the defeat had spiritual origins. The world system is not there for your benefit if you are a child of God, but a mechanism to crush you. The Word says: (1 Peter 4:12 – Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test you [that is, to test the quality of your faith], as though something strange or unusual were happening to you and John 3:13 – Do not be surprised, believers, if the world hates you.).
What we are doing is striving in our own strength on the outside, when we should be attacking the thing from the inside out through prayer. In our focus scripture the wife of the son of the prophets said her husband was dead. Elisha asked what did she have and she replied with something she thought was small and insignificant. Elisha gave her specific instructions, one of which was to close her door on her and her children. By obeying the Word of the Lord through the prophet she was asked to take that insignificant thing….and lean on it to supply all their needs. Not only did that little bit of oil cancel out all their debt, or obligation to the outside world – there was provision left over.
I have always loved to encourage people through little notes. Something I thought was insignificant the Lord has asked me to do it in a different medium. Is it stretching my capacity as a handmaiden of the Lord? Absolutely, but instead of striving for something that in the end is not worth anything in eternity, I am leaning on the Lord to provide. My heart’s desire is to be a gold vessel for the Lord. (2 Timothy 2:20 – But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor….)
Seeking Revelation:
Grab your note book:
- List out the thing or things in or around your house
- For example art work you have created, short stories you have written, a piece of furniture you have created, you may have an abundance of natural resources on your land like sand.
- Ask the Lord to reveal to you how you can use them for His glory.
- Now baby steps identify small changes that you can make daily to support the vision that Lord had given you for that thing(s).