The widow in II Kings went to Elijah asking for help. Her husband had died and left her with a debt she couldn’t pay. She needed money. What she had was a little bit of oil. The man to whom the money was owed was going to take her sons as slaves if the debt could not be paid in full. She was the widow of a prophet so she goes to a prophet to ask for help. But before Elijah did anything to help, he asked her a question: “what do you have in your house?” She replied, “absolutely nothing!’ …”except for a little oil.” You see what she had seemed insignificant when she compared it to what she needed. What she needed was a “whole lot” of money what she had was a “little bit” of oil. Don’t ever underestimate what you have! Especially when God gets involved.
It’s an interesting question coming from a prophet to a widow and it is an interesting answer considering she said she didn’t have anything, except for a little oil. Now when we say we don’t have anything we usually mean we don’t have anything. But for most of us it’s not that we don’t have anything; it’s that we don’t have what we desire. When what you have is not what you desire it will be overlooked and seen as nothing. What she had she didn’t value as significant because it wasn’t what she needed. What she needed was a lot of money. What she had was a little bit of oil. Mike Murdock says, “if what you have is not what you need it must be your seed.” Your seed will look like “absolutely nothing” until you begin to sow it by pouring out of what you already have. Then it will grow and exceed your need. The widow had a “seed” of oil and when she began pouring out of what she had God exceeded her need.
This story is interesting in so many ways. First of all instead of the prophet just helping – he first asked her what she had in her house. Most of us would have taken for granted she didn’t have anything. While others of us would have helped her without any questions being asked at all. Then to top it all off when he found out she had a little oil he still doesn’t help her but instead he proceeds to tell her to go to her neighbors and ask them for some empty jars. After collecting all the jars should could find the prophet then instructs her to begin pouring into those jars. So she did. She began pouring out of what she already had. She began pouring from what she called earlier: “ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.”
The oil didn’t start flowing until she started pouring. But the “little bit” of nothing she had kept flowing until it had filled all the jars she had collected. Then the oil stopped. It didn’t stop until the containers she had were filled. God didn’t exceed her capacity to receive, but He exceeded her need. I believe if she had more jars she might still be pouring today. The other thing is the oil started flowing when she started pouring out of what she had. The jars didn’t automatically fill themselves, and the jar she had didn’t fill up before she started pouring. You may be waiting on God to give you more, or to give you what you desire, but He might be waiting on you to recognize what you have as being significant so you will begin pouring it out for Him, to exceed your need while blessing those around you.
She had a “little bit” of oil but what she needed was a “whole lot” of money. What seemed insignifanct, God used in a supernatural way. The writer tells us that she had enough oil to pay off her husband’s debt with enough left over for her and her sons to live on. Here’s the passage: II Kings Chapter 4 “Elisha and the Widow’s Oil” – “A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” 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.”
Then he said, “ Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors — empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 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.”
Here are 5 Things We Can Learn from this Passage:
1. God supernaturally accomplished what the widow could not do herself.
2. God exceeded her need.
3. The miracle started with what didn’t seem signifiant.
4. She poured out of what she had and God exceeded what she needed.
5. What she had was more than enough when God got involved.
We must learn to be thankful for what we have… Develop an attitude of gratitude… Begin pouring out of what you have. What you have is your seed. What you desire God to do is your need. Be thankful for what you have and watch God exceed your need!