by Rose Murdock

4: 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."

5: 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.

This woman’s husband had been a servant to Elisha.  When she came to Elisha and told him her problem he said to her, "What shall I do for you?  What do you have in your house?"  Notice he didn’t bail her out of her situation without using something she already had.  He asked her, "What do you have?"

He turned it back on her to see what she would say.  God greatly used Elisha.   Elisha in himself couldn’t do anything for her.  It was the power of God working through him that did the miracles Elisha performed.  And God will ask us, as Elisha asked the woman, "What do you have in your house?"

How did she reply?  She said, "I don’t have anything except a pot of oil."  There you go.  If she would have said, "I don’t have anything, period."  She would have been in trouble.  But she said, "I don’t have anything except this pot of oil."

That pot of oil as it was wasn’t enough to pay off her debt.  But something happens when you give what you have to the Lord.  When you see through the eye of faith and look at what you have as having potential.  When you think, ‘There’s some good here, God can get some use out of this."  Then He can begin to do a miracle.  But He needs for us to take that step and begin to see what He sees.

What do you have?  Look around.  What do you have?  Do an inventory.   The talents or gifts you have may seem small and insignificant right now, but when God speaks a Word they become worth something so valuable that not only do you have no lack but you have an abundance!

It doesn’t matter how small or insignificant your ‘pot of oil’ is.   When you combine it with faith in a Word from God it will go a long way.   After she told Elisha that all she had was a pot of oil, he too could see the potential.  He too had faith for a miracle.  He told her what to do.   "Go borrow vessels from all over.  Empty vessels.  A lot of them.   And then go in your house and fill them up."

If God told you to go borrow a bunch of bowls and then fill them up with the milk in your refrigerator, how many would you borrow?  How far would you go?  This is where she had to use her faith.  She had to think big.  As many as she borrowed that’s how blessed she’d be.  How many bowls would you borrow?

Once she saw God performing the miracle she was ready to keep going and filling those pots.  It’s easier to believe God once you see the pots starting to fill.   But during the time that you have to go out and borrow the vessels—during the time when nothing seems any different; you still owe money, the creditors are still knocking, all you have is a Word from the man of God to go borrow vessels—during that time before anything happens is when you have to think the biggest!

The same principal applied in 2 Kings 3 when the king of Israel, the king of Edom and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah went up to fight against Moab.  They went through the wilderness and there was no water for them, the army or the animals with them.  They all thought they were going to die but Jehoshaphat looked for a prophet so they could seek the Lord.  They found Elisha and he wasn’t even going to help them except for the fact that Jehoshaphat was there.  So after Elisha heard from the Lord he told them, "Make this valley full of ditches."  He told them the Lord was going to fill the ditches with water so that everyone could drink.

When they were out there digging ditches they had to think big.  However deep they dug the ditches that’s how much water they would be blessed with.

The woman with the pot of oil borrowed those pots before any miracle ever happened.   After the miracle started it was too late to expand her vision.  She had to do it in the planning stages (That’s not to say God will never increase something He’s started but for this woman the amount of her blessing was directly dependent on how many vessels she borrowed).  How much did she expect?  How much did she plan for?

After the oil stopped flowing she went and asked Elisha what she should do with it.   Notice he didn’t tell her what to do with it when he first talked to her.   So now that she had all this oil she went and asked him what to do with it.   He said to go and pay off your debt and live off the rest.

She was wise enough to realize that she should check with the man of God to see what God wanted her to do with that blessing.  She didn’t assume she should take care of herself and her family with it.  She checked to see what she should do with it.   Could God trust us that way?

The permission was given for her to go and take care of her problem.  This is what she wanted to do with it, to go pay her debt, because that was why she was crying to Elisha in the first place.  But after the miracle she checked to make sure she was obedient to the Lord.  She wanted to do with it what He wanted done.

We have a part to play in receiving blessings from the Lord.  If you have needs that you need met, you have a part to play in receiving those needs met.  Seek the Lord as to what your pot of oil is.  What part do you have to play in having your needs met?

And until that miracle starts to flow just keep borrowing vessels and digging ditches!   When the devil asks you what you think you’re doing trusting God that way you just tell him you’re borrowing vessels and digging ditches.  When people tell you you’re in trouble and there’s no way out, you keep borrowing vessels and digging ditches! God is faithful to fill them up!

Go to the crossword for this teaching