"Now a wife of one of the prophets appealed to Elisha for help, saying, "Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord. Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants." Elisha asked her what she has in her house and she replies that she has nothing except a small jar of oil. Elisha then tells her to ask her neighbors for as many empty containers as she can get and then after she has collected the containers to go back to her house and close the door, leaving just her and her sons.
After they were alone, Elisha instructed her to pour the oil from the small jar into the containers she had just gathered and to set aside each one after they were filled. She did as Elisha had said and discovered that the oil in her small jar had filled everyone of the empty containers she had gathered from her neighbors. In fact, the oil only stopped flowing after she ran out of containers. She immediately informed Elisha what had happened and he told her to go and sell the oil. Repay your creditor, and then you and your sons can live off the rest of the profit." (2 Kings 4: 1-7)
So this widow went door-to-door with her neighbors, asking for their help and in turn revealing the poverty of her own situation. What if her pride had not only stopped her from recruiting help from Elisha but also prevented her from asking her neighbors for help?
But also we have a responsibility to share our troubles with God and His people! James 4:2 says, "You do not have because you do not ask God." Even though God knows all of our needs He still wants us to ask, to assume the posture of the one in need, to remind ourselves that we are fully dependent upon our God to meet the needs in our life. Independence in one's own resources and being a Christ follower are two totally different lifestyles. And God says we can only serve one master, Self or Him.
Also, notice that Elisha asked the woman to do something. Almost every miracle in the Bible has some element of either the man or woman fulfilling an action step in addition to making their request known. I believe this not only demonstrates the obedience and faith of the person involved in the request but also binds them in partnership with God when He uses their obedience and delivers a miracle. Side note: Not only the woman's faith was being tested but the degree of her faith. The oil only stopped flowing after all the empty containers she had gathered were filled. If she had stopped with one or two jars, that would have been the extent of her blessing.
I'm also reminded that the woman's children, who were facing a future without both of their parents, were not only rescued but were able to witness the miracle of God's provision. As far as I know the Bible doesn't mention this family again but I like to think that this was a huge building block for not only the widow's faith but her children's faith as well.
It's also interesting the role that her neighbors played in this miracle. They were asked to give up something so that the widow could meet her obligations and then take care of her family. Can you imagine the joy of knowing that your small sacrifice had just played a part in the rescue of her children? You don't have to imagine because God is seeking others to help meet the needs around them everyday. Join with Him and experience the joy of being part of God's Kingdom work as He meets needs around the world!
