One of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, has died. You know that your servant feared the Lord. Now the creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves.”
Elisha asked her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?”
She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.”
Then he said, “Go out and borrow empty containers from all your neighbors. Do not get just a few. Then go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these containers. Set the full ones to one side.” So she left.
After she had shut the door behind her and her sons, they kept bringing her containers, and she kept pouring. When they were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.”
But he replied, “There aren’t any more.” Then the oil stopped.
She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debt; you and your sons can live on the rest.” 2 Kings 4:1-7
Faith-Filled Day 2: The Widowed Mother’s Oil – 2 Kings 4:1-7
Desperation has a way of making us feel like we’ve reached the end of our resources.
A widow found herself in that very place. Her husband had died, leaving behind unpaid debts. According to the customs of the day, the creditor planned to take her two sons as payment. She had no savings, no means of support, and no obvious solution. All she had was a small jar of oil.
A small jar of oil
When she cried out to the prophet Elisha, his instructions may have seemed unusual. He told her to borrow as many empty jars as she could from her neighbors. Then, behind closed doors, she was to begin pouring her small amount of oil into the empty containers.
Human reasoning would say the oil should have run out after filling the first jar.
It kept flowing
Instead, it kept flowing.
Jar after jar was filled until there were no empty vessels left. Only then did the oil stop. The widow sold the oil, paid every debt, and had enough remaining to provide for herself and her sons.
God often begins His greatest works with what seems small and insignificant. The widow focused on what she lacked, but God chose to work through what she already possessed. Her miracle required both faith and obedience. She had to gather the jars before she ever saw the oil multiply.
What feels too small to us is never too small for God.
Sometimes we pray for God to provide while overlooking the gifts, opportunities, abilities, or resources He has already placed in our hands. What feels too small to us is never too small for God. When we place our little into His hands and obey His direction, He is able to do far more than we could imagine.
God’s provision may not always come in miraculous oil, but His faithfulness remains the same. He is still able to meet needs, open doors, and provide enough for today—and often more than we expected.
Reflection Questions
- What “small jar of oil” has God already placed in your hands?
- Are you waiting for God to provide while hesitating to take the next step of obedience?
- How have you experienced God’s provision in unexpected ways in the past?
Action Step
Take inventory of the resources God has already given you. Write down three things you already have—such as a skill, a relationship, time, an opportunity, or a material resource—that God could use to bless others or meet a need. Then choose one practical step to act on this week. Offer your time to someone who needs help, use your talents to serve your church or community, or generously share what you have with someone in need. Trust God to multiply your faithful obedience, just as He multiplied the widow’s oil.
Head on over to Facebook @DevoInAction (https://www.facebook.com/devoinaction) and share your thoughts about today’s devotional or post a pic of your journaling under Day 2: The Widowed Mother’s Oil – 2 Kings 4:1-7 or post on Instagram and tag me @devoinaction!
THEN, encourage at least one other person today!
Prayer
Father, thank You for being my Provider. Forgive me for focusing on what I don’t have instead of trusting You with what You have already given me. Help me to obey You even when I don’t understand Your instructions. Take my small offerings, my limited resources, and my simple acts of faith, and use them for Your glory. I trust that You are able to provide exactly what I need. Amen.
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