Day 11 | The Widow’s Oil

Read 2 Kings 4:1-7

A widow came to the prophet Elisha in desperation when her husband died and left her in debt. When Elisha asked what she had in her home to sell, she said she only had a tiny amount of oil. When Elisha told her to gather jars from her neighbors and fill them all with oil, she easily could have dismissed the prophet’s words. Instead, she followed Elisha’s instructions exactly, and when she began filling the jars, oil flowed freely. When she returned to Elisha, he told her to sell the oil to pay back the debt and use the rest to take care of her family. Can you imagine what it was like for this widow to see God’s provision in such a miraculous way? God took a small amount of oil and multiplied it right in front of her eyes.

This miracle was a declaration of God’s love for each of us and His willingness to use the smallest things to do great works. Luke 12:6-7 says, “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? But God does not forget even one of them. He even counts every hair on your head! So don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”

If you know anything about investing, then you know that a little bit of money can turn into a lot of money later on. So many of us trust our future lives to the idea that if we have a little, we can have enough later. But investments are a human institution, and we can lose our money and be left with nothing. If we place so much hope and faith into the stock market, a fallible and erratic system, why do we have difficulty trusting that God can use what little we have to offer? This isn’t just about having enough for ourselves, this is about having enough for His kingdom! I encourage you to look at whatever God has given you, a house, an apartment, a car, and not only see it as sufficient, but ask, “How can God use this through me for His kingdom?”

Pray for 10 minutes