Miracles in the Midst of Lack
So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. -2 Kings 4:5
I vividly remember lying on my garage floor, ready to quit absolutely everything in my life, change my name, and move to another country. Were it not for my kids, I would have seriously considered this because moving forward in those circumstances felt as impossible as peeling myself up off the hot floor.
Low moments like these can sometimes hit us out of nowhere, but often the decent to a certain season’s rock bottom is time consuming, bumpy, and draining until splat – we simply have nothing more to give.
There’s enormous encouragement for moments like these – like a lifeline during the descent - in a small story tucked within the history of Israel. At a place in scripture where Israel’s unfaithfulness as a nation is being highlighted, we see the Lord’s attention on a seemingly insignificant woman faced with dire personal circumstances.
A nameless widow is in tremendous debt, with nothing to her name except a tiny jar of oil. Her creditor is on his way, and if she can’t pay the enormous debt, her sons will be taken as slaves.
It’s hard to picture such circumstances, and I imagine this poor woman didn’t expect to find herself here. The Lord had provided safeguards for widows in Israel, (laid out in the Pentateuch) but this story takes place at a point in Israel’s history when those safeguards, among other things, were being ignored by Israel’s kings. 2 Kings 3 (the previous chapter) lays out what’s going on at this time and it isn’t pretty – national idolatry and pointless wars, for example. Naturally, when things aren’t going well for an entire country, one can imagine things won’t be going so well in the daily lives of its people.
Nevertheless, in the midst of national gloom, the Lord’s eyes are lovingly upon this widow, and her circumstances have not escaped Him. If you're familiar with this story, you know the prophet Elisha relays a rather strange plan. He tells her to gather empty jars from her neighbors and fill them with her oil. Not just a few jars, either, but many.
If it had been me, I would have objected, sighting the stupidity of this idea. Why would I need numerous jars for just a few drops of oil? But we don’t see her object. In fact, the next sentence simply shows her doing what Elisha told her to do without a hint of hesitation.
The result is miraculous provision. One by one, the jars fill to the brim. My favorite part of this story is that the oil doesn’t stop flowing from her tiny jar until she runs out of vessels. As a result, she’s able to sell the oil to pay off her debt and live off of what she has leftover. By following God’s instructions, she went from little to leftovers.
I love that Elisha had her gather the jars and pour the oil herself. Surely he could have done it for her, perhaps that would have been the more “caring” thing to do for someone in such painful circumstances. But it seems he knew that in doing it herself, there was greater opportunity for her faith in God to grow. Trusting in God’s provision isn’t something others can do for us. As the oil kept flowing from her hands, her faith kept growing in her heart.
Often, this is how the Lord works in our lives. He waits for us to take that first step of faithful obedience and participate in his plan of provision, rather than simply show us where the oil will come from, so to speak. This isn’t an endorsement for acting recklessly and testing the Lord’s provision. Nor is it a form of legalism where obedience guarantees we get what we want. Rather, this is a beautiful illustration of the Lord’s love for the seemingly insignificant, and his care for every detail. It reveals his provision for those who obediently take that first step of faith in God’s plan, even when it doesn’t make sense.
Even more than that, this story is a sign pointing to Jesus. He came not just to save one woman from debt and her boys from slavery, but came to pay our debt that we could never pay for on our own. To save all who would look to him from the slavery of sin. This provision is incomparable. We can look back on it and move forward with certainty that whatever step God calls us to take, he will provide the way. His loving eyes are on the details of our lives and he will give us what we need.
The Lord’s provision may look different for each of us. Perhaps it will be material, but it can also be courage as we take that first step to obediently stand up for truth. Or peace as we take that first obedient step of forgiveness. Or joy as we obediently let go of something we love because the Lord has told us it’s not good for us. Whatever it looks like for you, his provision is guaranteed because of what he has already provided us – his one and only son.
In what ways do you struggle to obey the Lord before you see his provision?
How does the provision of Christ encourage you today?
I vividly remember lying on my garage floor, ready to quit absolutely everything in my life, change my name, and move to another country. Were it not for my kids, I would have seriously considered this because moving forward in those circumstances felt as impossible as peeling myself up off the hot floor.
Low moments like these can sometimes hit us out of nowhere, but often the decent to a certain season’s rock bottom is time consuming, bumpy, and draining until splat – we simply have nothing more to give.
There’s enormous encouragement for moments like these – like a lifeline during the descent - in a small story tucked within the history of Israel. At a place in scripture where Israel’s unfaithfulness as a nation is being highlighted, we see the Lord’s attention on a seemingly insignificant woman faced with dire personal circumstances.
A nameless widow is in tremendous debt, with nothing to her name except a tiny jar of oil. Her creditor is on his way, and if she can’t pay the enormous debt, her sons will be taken as slaves.
It’s hard to picture such circumstances, and I imagine this poor woman didn’t expect to find herself here. The Lord had provided safeguards for widows in Israel, (laid out in the Pentateuch) but this story takes place at a point in Israel’s history when those safeguards, among other things, were being ignored by Israel’s kings. 2 Kings 3 (the previous chapter) lays out what’s going on at this time and it isn’t pretty – national idolatry and pointless wars, for example. Naturally, when things aren’t going well for an entire country, one can imagine things won’t be going so well in the daily lives of its people.
Nevertheless, in the midst of national gloom, the Lord’s eyes are lovingly upon this widow, and her circumstances have not escaped Him. If you're familiar with this story, you know the prophet Elisha relays a rather strange plan. He tells her to gather empty jars from her neighbors and fill them with her oil. Not just a few jars, either, but many.
If it had been me, I would have objected, sighting the stupidity of this idea. Why would I need numerous jars for just a few drops of oil? But we don’t see her object. In fact, the next sentence simply shows her doing what Elisha told her to do without a hint of hesitation.
The result is miraculous provision. One by one, the jars fill to the brim. My favorite part of this story is that the oil doesn’t stop flowing from her tiny jar until she runs out of vessels. As a result, she’s able to sell the oil to pay off her debt and live off of what she has leftover. By following God’s instructions, she went from little to leftovers.
I love that Elisha had her gather the jars and pour the oil herself. Surely he could have done it for her, perhaps that would have been the more “caring” thing to do for someone in such painful circumstances. But it seems he knew that in doing it herself, there was greater opportunity for her faith in God to grow. Trusting in God’s provision isn’t something others can do for us. As the oil kept flowing from her hands, her faith kept growing in her heart.
Often, this is how the Lord works in our lives. He waits for us to take that first step of faithful obedience and participate in his plan of provision, rather than simply show us where the oil will come from, so to speak. This isn’t an endorsement for acting recklessly and testing the Lord’s provision. Nor is it a form of legalism where obedience guarantees we get what we want. Rather, this is a beautiful illustration of the Lord’s love for the seemingly insignificant, and his care for every detail. It reveals his provision for those who obediently take that first step of faith in God’s plan, even when it doesn’t make sense.
Even more than that, this story is a sign pointing to Jesus. He came not just to save one woman from debt and her boys from slavery, but came to pay our debt that we could never pay for on our own. To save all who would look to him from the slavery of sin. This provision is incomparable. We can look back on it and move forward with certainty that whatever step God calls us to take, he will provide the way. His loving eyes are on the details of our lives and he will give us what we need.
The Lord’s provision may look different for each of us. Perhaps it will be material, but it can also be courage as we take that first step to obediently stand up for truth. Or peace as we take that first obedient step of forgiveness. Or joy as we obediently let go of something we love because the Lord has told us it’s not good for us. Whatever it looks like for you, his provision is guaranteed because of what he has already provided us – his one and only son.
In what ways do you struggle to obey the Lord before you see his provision?
How does the provision of Christ encourage you today?
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