The Bible says in Romans 15:4 that “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us.” Today, God has something to teach us through His Word!
Today’s message will be based on the great miracle from II Kings 4. Elisha was a follower of Elijah. He had become a great prophet in Israel.
Elisha led a school of prophets, and many men abandoned their jobs to follow Elisha’s leadership.
One of the prophets who had been working with Elisha passed away and that is what we are going to read about on 2 Kings 4:1-7 and our message will be based on this text.
“The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he honoured the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”
2 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 a small jar of olive oil.”
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbours for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”
5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
2 Kings 4:1-7 NIV
Here we see a woman of God who was married to a man of God. However, this man dies, leaving behind a great debt, and his creditor was about to come and take her two sons as slaves. This widow goes to the prophet Elisha and shares her suffering.
Elisha listened to the woman and asked, “How can I help you? What do you have in your house?”
His answer might not have been very comforting, all he asked her was: What do you have at home?
God was asking her: What are you willing to do for my help?
God always works through us! But when we live passive lives, we cannot experience the supernatural of God.
The supernatural doesn’t happen for those who sit on the pew and do nothing.
The supernatural doesn’t happen for those who don’t know how to receive guidance for their lives!
The prophet asks: What can you give me from your house, so that you can experience greater things?
She answers: “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”
God wants you to live greater things, there are miracles waiting for you. But miracles do not happen automatically! Miracles are triggered! A better life does not happen automatically, you have to move!
The intervention of God does not happen by chance. Miracles are reactions based on our position before God.
What that widow experienced, you and I can experience too. God has all the power and He wants to bless us, but you have to move.
What can we learn from this widow’s story?
First point: She did not hide herself to grieve and cry, she went out to seek God’s help.
There are so many people who, in times of trouble, will look for help from their relatives, the bank, the government… They will post about their problems on the internet, on social media, for everyone to see and feel sorry for them, but they do not seek help from God.
The first person that woman reached out for help was God!
She went after Elisha saying, “He is a man of God”, and sought out his help.
She goes after Elisha and says: “I’m in a desperate situation”. And Elisha’s question for her is: What do you have in your house?
That woman came searching for help, looking to get assistance, and all he asks is what does she have at home?
She replies: Your servant has nothing! Just a small bowl of olive oil.
At first she thinks she has nothing. But then she remembers she had a bit of olive oil.
Elisha says to her: “Go around and ask all your neighbours for empty jars”
You have to understand that in this message I’m talking about powerful, Godly principles.
If you want to experience more of God, you will have to abandon your past, you will have to give up your desires, abandon your sins, humiliate yourself and ask for forgiveness.
If you want to receive a better life and experience bigger things you will have to present God with all you have, and you will have to learn how to walk under guidance, advice and obedience.
That woman obeyed the prophet, he asks her for empty jars and when she begins to pour the little oil that she had into the jars, they all fill up to the brim. When there is no more room for oil, the miracle ends and the prophet says to her:
“Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
God did something supernatural which the widow could never have done by herself.
God not only supplied her needs, but also God gave her more than she had asked for.
Question: How did the miracle begin?
How will you start your greatest life? How will you experience the supernatural? What can you do to have a fruitful ministry? How can you fulfil your calling?
The first thing to take from this story is: she looked for help and advice from the right person, Elisha, because she recognised that he was a man of God.
Second: The miracle began with something she deemed to be nothing, something “insignificant”.
All that God needs to perform a miracle is what you have in hands! Miracles happen through our renounce and surrender.
She said: I have nothing!
She could not see that she had the solution sitting in her own empty house.
Most of us are sufferings, we think we have nothing.
Elisha was not worried about all the things she didn’t have, but he cared for what she did have, even if it was only very little.
What you have is what God will use to bless every area of your life.
The little the widow had was the starting point of the miracle.
Many people exclude themselves because they believe they don’t have enough for God to work a miracle.
Many people do not grow in their ministry because they say: I have nothing that God can use, I can’t do anything, I have nothing! We are always thinking about what we do not have: I can’t, I’m not ready yet, I don’t know enough, etc.
That woman was with her debtors at her door, she had a big debt, she could lose her children, she was grieving her husband’s death, she was at her worst moment yet she had something that God could use.
We all have something that God can use! What we have can be the starting point for what God wants to do! Everyone has something! You’ll find it if you look hard to your own life!
The story we read is a story that reveals God: God is a specialist in using the little you have to perform great things!
If you are faithful in the small things, the small will multiply over your life. No matter how much you earn, be faithful in your tithes and your offerings and you will see what God can do in your financial life.
Many Christians think: if I had some, then I would give; if I could do it, then I would; if I had more money I would give tithes; if I had studied more, then I would teach others.
This evil mentality is holding many Christians down into a small life; lives without faith. But God is calling us to live bigger and better things.
God has called us to live an extraordinary life. You are stagnant because you do not use what you have!
The Prophet asked: What do you have?
What we have is enough! What we have in Shalom is enough for the miracle. But some people want to go look in other places, other pastors, other ministries instead of using what we have in our own house.
God will produce the miracle by using something that we already have in our own home, in our Church.
We have to position ourselves in order to receive the miracle of God.
Do you remember the miracle with the bread and fish?
“But Jesus answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.””
Mark 6:37-38 NIV
Jesus calls His disciples and says: Feed the people!
What did they answer? We have nothing!
Jesus asks: What DO you have?
They said: we almost nothing, only 5 bread and 2 fish. Jesus says: That’s plenty! It’s just enough for me to multiply it!
What do we have?
Someone had to give the little he had to activate the miracle!
When he gives what was not enough to Jesus, he received back more than enough.
Testimony: I gave the little I had (10% of a car) and God gave me a car.
What did God put in your hands?
What can you do?
In order for you to live bigger things you will have to use the little you have!
Stop complaining about your limitations and use what you have! Start small, start humble. Offer to help at the Children’s Ministry.
Still some say: “But this is not what I want, I want to preach there in front of the church!”
“Come to the Ministry of Intercession, come to prayer meetings then!”
“But no, I need to do more important things!”
Whoever humbles themselves will be exalted; the path to greater things in the kingdom of God is to serve in small and humble things.
What do you have at home? What do you have in your life?
What can you do?
Use what you have to serve God, and start small!
Offer your car and give lifts to people who do not have a car. Offer your home to have cell meetings! Offer to help as a church receptionist, offer to help with tea and coffee. Offer to do evangelism on the street.
Bake a cake for your neighbours, cut your neighbour’s grass and preach the gospel to them.
It doesn’t matter what you have, use it and God will perform a miracle from the little you offered.
There are people who want to preach in the church. But start small, preach in your workplace, in your office, to your friends, at your school, preach to those around you!
You and I do not have € 500,000 to buy a building, but be faithful in the little that you have and God will take of the miracle and He will give us the building.
Your little bit can be your biggest opportunity!
God asked Moses: What do you have in your hand?
“The Lord asked to Moses, “What is that you have in your hand?” Moses answered, “It is my walking stick.””
Exodus 4:2 ERV
This is the same question from Elisha: What do you have at home?
Moses replied: It’s just a stick, but God used what he had to do something supernatural!
His simple walking stick opened the Red Sea because he used what he had in hands.
It is our obedience to the word we have received that will produce miracles and take you to experience bigger things!
That widow believed in the prophet, she went to get more empty jars!
Because of her obedience her future and the future of her children were forever changed.
Elisha said : Go, sell the olive oil and pay your debts. And you and your children can still live than left. ” 2 Kings 4:17
Our obedience will activate the miracles of God. It is you and me who secure the miracles of God with our attitudes.
Do you want to experience bigger things?
If you want that, surrender to God, walk in obedience, offer to serve in the Kingdom of God, start serving with small things, preach the gospel to your work friends, use what you have at home, give value to what you have at home, use the little you have, stop complaining about what you do not have and instead use what you have in hands!
Are you hungry for God?
For you to experience greater things you need to be desperate for God.
We need to do as the prodigal son who recognised his sin and said: I abandoned my house, I disrespected my dad, but I will return!
What happened to him? A Miracle! As soon as he returned home and said, I sinned against you, his father gave him a golden ring, sandals, new clothes, a banquet and a party!
Our attitudes activate the miracles of God!
Make your decision today and take a step of faith to live bigger things in God.
God bless you!