We find the story of the widow and the oil in the book of 2 Kings. A widow from the group of prophets who worked with Elisha comes to Elisha and tells him that the creditors have come to get what they owe. She can’t pay it back, and they threaten to take her two boys from her. Elisha hears her plea for help and asks what she has. She tells him she has a little oil. He then tells her to gather jars from her neighbors and then go back to her house and pour the oil in the jars. She does as he says, and the oil just keeps on flowing.
So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. Soon every container was full to the brim!
“Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons.
“There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing.
When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, “Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.”
2 Kings 4:5-7
No More Jars
What is interesting to note is that the oil kept flowing until there were no more jars to fill. Only then did the oil stop. “And then the olive oil stopped flowing.” I think that if there were more jars, there would have been more oil. And if there had been fewer jars, there would have been less oil. This blessing was based on her faith and her ability to get jars.
How many times do we limit what God wants to do in our lives either because we don’t have the faith for it, or we don’t do the work on our part that we need to do. Over and over again in the New Testament Jesus healed people according to their faith.
Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.”
Matthew 9:29 NLT
Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.
Matthew 8:13 NLT
And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.
Mark 10:52 NLT
And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.
Luke 17:19 NLT
Don’t Stop the Flow
There is an aspect of faith that is dependent on us, which sort of feels like it goes against the very essence of faith. God wants to work on our behalf. He wants to do more than we could ask or think. But what happens when our lack of faith gets in the way? How many times do get in the way of God doing what He wants in our lives simply because we don’t have enough jars…we don’t have the faith to believe for it?
God wants to work on our behalf today. Don’t stop the blessings of faith flowing into your life today simply because we don’t believe He can or will. Have the faith that God can and will still heal, that He will provide for that need, that He will bring that baby, that He will give you that job, that He will bring the right person along, that He will bring good into your life…that He is still good and is Who He says He is.
Let’s not limit what God can do in our lives by our lack of faith. Let’s ask for and believe for exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask and think!
More Encouragement
For more encouragement, check out my post, 6 Ways to Build Your Faith Today. I also have been encouraged by Tauren Wells’ new song, Breathe On It. Check it out!