DON'T ASK FOR JUST A FEW

    If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
    2 Chronicles 7:14

    One of my favorite stories is from 2 Kings 4:1-7. A widow with two sons has come to Elisha. Her husband had also been a prophet, but since he died the bills had mounted, and now the creditor was coming to take her sons as slaves for repayment. Out of desperation, she goes to Elisha for help. He asks her, "What can I do? What do you have in your house?" "I don't have anything," she replies, "just a little oil." Elisha tells her, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. 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." So the widow leaves, gathers jars from her friends, and goes back into her house with her sons and shuts the door. She then begins to pour her small amount of oil into the jars until they are all full. As long as she has jars to pour into, the oil keeps flowing. As soon as the last jar is full, the oil stops flowing. She goes back to Elisha to tell him what happened, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left."

    What a beautiful example of God's provision for His children. But what impresses me most is the instruction to the widow. "Go get jars, and don't just get a few." In other words, "get a whole bunch of jars!" Now this woman probably didn't understand what was about to happen nor why she needed to gather so many empty jars. But she did understand the instruction--get a lot of jars. She didn't ask questions. She didn't argue. She obeyed. We don't know how many jars she gathered or how much money she had left to live on. But we can know this--the extent of her blessing depended on the extent of her obedience.

    A footnote in the Life Application Bible says, "The number of jars they gathered was an indication of their faith. God's provision was as large as their faith and willingness to obey. Beware of limiting God's blessings by a lack of faith and obedience. God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)."

    God is faithful even when we are not. It is part of His changeless character. But sometimes the extent of His blessing depends on the extent of our obedience. What has He asked you to do? Obey Him fully--and don't just get a few!

    Becky
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