She came to him, pleading, desperate, not knowing what to do. Her husband was dead, and she had no money; they were in debt to a man who now was threatening to take her two sons as payment.
She came to him, hoping he could help. After all, he was the prophet of God; surely there was something..!
He listened to her story then asked, “What do you have in the house?”
“What do I have? Nothing! I’ve sold everything; all I and my sons have are the clothes on our backs.”
“That’s all you have? You have absolutely nothing else?”
“Well…” She hesitated. “I do have a pot of oil. It’s just a little pot, not even full.”
The prophet smiled. “Go to all your neighbors and borrow empty vessels from them,” he said. “And don’t just borrow a few; borrow lots and lots and lots! Then when you get back home, shut the door and pour oil from your little pot into all of the other vessels you borrowed.”
And that’s what she and her sons did. They took all the pots, cups, bowls, kettles, and any other containers their neighbors would give them. Then they shut the door, and she started pouring oil from her small pot into one of the bowls.
Then she poured oil into another bowl. Then into a cup. Then a medium-sized pot. Then another, and another, and one more, and on and on!
“Bring another vessel,” she said to her boys.
“There are no more,” they replied. “We used them all.”
She went to the man of God again and told him. “Sell the oil,” he said. “Pay your debt, and use the rest of the money to take care of yourself and your boys.”
/~/
Just a little pot of oil. That’s all she had. But God used that to not just pay off the debt but provide enough to live off of.
Just a little. That might be all you have. But God can use that, and use it mightily. He can multiply “the oil,” “the flour,” “the loaves and fishes.” He’ll take care of you.
But, like the widow woman in this story (found in 2 Kings 4:1-7), we need to obey, to do what we’re told, to trust and step out in faith.
What are some times God multiplied your “pot of oil”? How did He take the little you had and turn it into something big? Or how did He provide for you when you had barely anything? (You could also tell me about a time He provided for someone else. š )
One year, LP gas prices spiked to unspeakable heights. Knowing there was no way we could afford another fill-up (and they were rationing it by that time), we put in a tiny, inefficient wood-stove that we had in the barn, bought a load of load of wood and started running down to the basement every half-hour to put more wood in. Over the amount of time that we would have normally used 70-80% of a tank of gas, we used less than 20%! (And survived until spring without buying more,) That was just one of the many times God has… Read more »
I remember that! I didn’t like the smoky smell that filled the house. š But the house did stay pretty warm. š
Of course I’m not tired of your commenting! I like to know what people liked in my posts, what they thought of as they read it, what stories they have, etc. So thank you for sharing! š
I love, love, love to read your posts. I am so blessed to have such a beautiful daughter, inside and out.Through this past year,ups and downs, God has done a mighty work in you.Keep it up!
Yes, this past year it has felt at times like everything was running low, but God always provided a way.And, He has even multiplied it. It felt so good to help someone else out within this past week, give them some money, and say, this is for you.He has certainly blessed us! May He be glorified!
Thank you for your kind, encouraging words! There’s a song that says, “God will make a way when you take Him at His word.” And another song says, “Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you.” And He truly has made a way, has provided and cared for us–and for others too!
Thank you for taking the time to comment!