"Elisha replied to her, 'How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?'
'Your servant has nothing there at all,' she said, 'except for a little oil.'
Elisha said, 'Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few...'"
2 Kings 4: 1-7
An impoverished widow came to the prophet, Elisha, for help. Her sons will be sold into slavery to pay her debts. Assessing her situation, he needed to know if she had anything to work with; she has a little oil. Not knowing what he had in mind, she took that leap of faith and began asking for jars. Empty jars! Lots of them. Maybe her neighbors thought she was nuts. She herself may have wondered what it was all about, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Elisha told her to pour her little bit of oil into those jars - and pour she did - until they were all full. She then sold the oil for a profit.
What if she had blown off Elisha's advice? What if she, being embarrassed, only asked for a few jars?
Lord, may this teach me to expect much when I use what I have been given. Also, may I be a generous neighbor to those in need
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