What's Right in Front of You?

In this week's sermon, Pastor Ben discussed the importance of looking at what's right in front of you in times of trouble.  He reminded us of  the story of the burdened and penniless woman in 2 Kings, Chapter 4.  Remember this:  The woman was widowed.  The God fearing man she loved had died, and she was alone in despair with two children.  The provider in her household was gone, and the debts were mounting.  Now, already having lost her husband, she was about to lose her two sons as well - to be sold as slaves to settle her debts. 

Can you imagine how this woman felt?  The despair she must feel inside knowing that she has nothing left of value, and must sell her children.  She reaches out to Elisha the Prophet and before she can even speak, he asks her, "Tell me, what do you have in the house?" (2KINGS4:2).  Elisha doesn't ask her if she knows someone she can borrow money from, or has a wealthy relative.  He doesn't suggest she just deal with her problems and sell her kids.  Elisha immediately asks her, 'What has your wonderful and loving God already provided you with that you are overlooking?  What blessing is right under your nose that you refuse to see?  How can you solve this problem with the blessings before you and the faith within you?

To finish the story, the woman tells Elisha she has nothing in the house, save a little bit of oil left in a jar.  Now remember, oil was a hard-to-come-by commodity in this era.  It didn't just appear on a grocery store shelf.  Oil was pressed by human hand, aged, flavored, strained and stored, sometimes in jars that were works of art themselves.  Oils and spices were used for religious ceremony, healing, and of course for food.  This was the widow-woman's very LAST valuable possession, and certainly not enough oil to save her two sons from being sold as slaves. 

Elisha tells her, "...Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few" (4:3KJV)  Essentially, he tells her, 'Go all through the neighborhood, and get every available container you can.  Even if they aren't empty, just go get them.'  She runs out and borrows containers until there are no more to be found, and Elisha tells her to close the door, grab her little jar of oil and start pouring.  Now, imagine the woman's thoughts...  This man just sent me to every door in town, and now he's telling me to pour my little bit of oil into each of them?  What is he thinking!?  My very last possession, and he's telling me to just pour it away?

But she obeys.  And she pours....  and pours....  and pours some more.  And her little jar of oil never runs out.  She pours oil into every single borrowed vessel until there are no more to be filled.  She tells Elisha about the miracle, he says to her, "Now sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over." (4:7NLT)

A simple story if you read through it quickly.  A man of God tells her that she will be fine, and she obeys him, a miracle is performed, and she is.  But don't miss the importance of God's lessons here, there are much more than just one:

Elisha tells the woman to borrow the vessels of all her neighbors, and not just a few.  He is telling her to get as many empty containers as she can, setting the stage that God's favor is never small. 

Notice Elisha tells her to close the door before she pours.  Matthew 6:16 tells us the Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  Elisha is subtly reminding her that what she does, her obedience, is performed for God, and not others who watch - or even Elisha himself.

The obvious miracle:  Her oil never runs out.  As long as she has an available vessel, she can pour... and pour some more.  Her little container never ceases to have oil in it, no matter how much she pours out that oil.  It's a not-so-subtle reminder that as long as you remain an open vessel for God, his love will never, ever run out.  His love will pour out on you, never ending, never ceasing, never decreasing.  Psalm 136 tells us 26 times that God's love never fails!

But a true reminder of faithfulness, Elisha asks the widow, "Tell me, what do you have in the house?"  Elisha is asking her, "What did God already provide you with that you have not considered?  What gift has God already given you that you not using?

By asking what she has left in her house, Elisha gently reminds the widow that the oil in the house is a gift from God. JAMES 1:17 says 'EVERY good and perfect gift is from above'.  Elisha is also reminding her that in her despair, she still has her faith, and that is ALL she needs.  Her Godly faith leads to her obedience to the Prophet, her collection of the jars, her miracle, and God's provision for her and her sons for the rest of their days.

In your most trying times, take a moment and be reminded of what you already have.  What blessings have you overlooked?  Even the smallest vessel will never run out, when the faith inside is always enough to overflow. 



Looking forward to the next visit with you!  ~ Christine.