Why do I feel empty? Am I missing
something? Is there more?
There is a woman in 2 Kings 4 whose story I can
identify with time and time again. This woman was a widow trying to take
care of her two children, but found herself in poverty. An angry landlord
was threatening to take her children because she couldn’t pay him. Just
when she was at the end of her rope, God provided a prophet. She cried
out to the prophet, Elisha, and asked for help. He did something
crazy. He didn’t give her enough for rent or didn’t take up an offering,
but asked her what she had in the house?
Ummm, Elisha. She was POOR and didn’t
have anything in the house.
She did have a tiny bit of oil, but this was of no
value, or so she thought. He told her to go to her neighbors and ask for
all their empty jars. He said, “don’t ask for just one jar but ask for
many jars.” Can you imagine the look on the faces of your neighbors when
you knock on their door and ask for an empty jar? She came back to the
house and Elisha told her to fill up the jars.
Ummm, once again, Elisha, she didn’t
have anything but a tiny bit of oil.
This woman of faith started pouring the oil into the
empty jars. She kept pouring, and pouring, and pouring, and pouring until
EVERY jar was completely full. ALL OF THEM. She asked her son for
another jar, and he told her there was not another jar. Then the oil stopped
flowing.
Here was a woman faced with so much fear. Fear
of her children being taken away from her. Fear of being alone and fear
of being rejected by her neighbors. Yet, she cried out for help and was
told to do something absurd and crazy. She was empty, poor and
afraid. This night changed her life as God showed Himself faithful.
Did you notice that she was instructed
to ask for many jars? How are we doing? Are we asking for an
abundance or just enough to get by? Are we believing that God can give us
an abundance of “oil” to satisfy our deepest need? If you are feeling
“empty,” ask Him to fill ever empty place within you.
Remember the oil? When the jars stopped coming,
the oil stopped. You see, it wasn’t an oil problem, but a vessel
problem. The oil kept flowing as long as there was an open vessel to
fill it up. The oil of God will continue to flow in us if we keep
ourselves open to hear His voice and obey. God is in the “overwhelming”
business and is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ever
hope or imagine.” (Ephesians 3:20-21).
The last question is: what are you filling your life
up with? What are you oily with? Exodus 30 talks about the oil
being used to anoint everything in the temple to make it holy. Everything
it touched was holy because it was the anointed oil of God. The oil of
Jesus will spread over your life and make the dirty areas clean. It can
cleanse your heart of greed, jealousy, depression, loneliness and so much
more. Oil also causes you to fulfill your calling in life. I Samuel
10 describes Saul being anointed with oil to become king. Oil is used to
bring much joy. Psalm 45:7 - “You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore, God, your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness.”
Instead of mourning,
you will be given the oil of gladness (Isa 63:1).
Are you an open vessel for the Lord? What is
He filling your life up with? Are you filling it up with the oil of
healing, the oil of gladness and the oil of cleansing?
Friends, let’s not let January be just another
month. I’m going to ask for more and more and more - with abundance!
Allison Shamblin
Assistant Teaching Director
Rutherfordton Day Class
No comments:
Post a Comment