I love it when God highlights a woman in Scripture that I can relate to ~ a widow. Our identity is not in our status whether married, single, divorced, or widowed; however, it is interesting that often when God performs a miracle of faith for or through a widow, He mentions her identity . . . widow. Perhaps He does this just so other widows can be encouraged or perhaps because those He has allowed to carry the title widow have a calling and purpose that only God can fill because of His title Husband to the widow.
In order to excel in our role as widow, we must understand our job description ~ to walk by faith. We have a clear example of this through the widow in 2 Kings.
When the curtain opens on Act One, our 2 Kings (2K) widow is distraught. She has circumstances and needs similar to ours…a family, bills, and pain. She faces these hovering beneath the shadow of grief, yet under the umbrella of grace.
Mrs. 2K just experienced the death of her husband. He was a godly man; in fact, he was one of the sons of the prophets. Wow ~ a very important person to the people and to God! Let’s take a peek into her situation. Would God allow pain to knock on her door?
The answer is yes He will and He does. We are never exempt from pain in the economy of God. It seems that this environment is actually His favorite place to rain His grace upon displaying the rainbow of His great glory.
Creditors have knocked, on this particular day, to summon the precious sons of this new widow! How could this be? Her wonderful husband just died, and now the city states they have a right to her sons because of insufficient funds to pay her debt. My guess would be that we all have received in the mail that post-card from the bank announcing ISF ~ Insufficient Funds! That declaration in itself stabs at our stomachs, but to face the removal of a child would be a stab to the heart!
At this moment of need, she cries out for help. Of all people, she goes to the top prophet in the land, Elisha. Was access to this man of God really as easy as Scripture reads? Before Mrs. 2K could pack away the past, God had made away for her present. Before she faced judgment for her debt, God sent the Judge to her defense. “God is a judge of the widow.” Deuteronomy 10:18
Elisha asks, “What shall I do for you?
The answer to this first question would be obvious, “Mr. Elisha . . . SAVE MY SONS!” I believe a secret lies within his reply. Elisha himself could do nothing for her outside of the amazing grace of God.
The second question, "What do you have in your house?" brings us to the place where all miracles begin ~ just where we are.
Her response, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” We know from past Bible precedence that this is the perfect setting for God to work ~ at the moment of last things and resources. When empty best describes the situation, we know that an eternal purpose is in the heart of God.
She was issued a command, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few.”
So here she is at her end. Others now must be included in the story…her neighbors of all people! I wonder if they had heard the news… “Poor widow (literally) to lose sons because of debt.” God is certainly able to perform a miracle without the audience of her neighborhood. However, in this crisis, the neighbors were summoned. After the jars were collected, the widow gathered her family, shut the door, and poured.
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. The widow had to step out in faith. She had to GO to her neighbors (uncomfortable), she had to GET a lot (unquestionable), and she was to GAIN provision (un-natural provision that is) not only for her debt, but for the rest of her life. The miracle took place because of her faith, and her provision was measured by her faith.
The miracle: "And it came about when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, 'Bring me another vessel.' And he said to her, 'There is not one vessel more.' And the oil stopped. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest." 2 Kings 4:6-7
We are encouraged that a moving mountain faith begins the size of a small mustard seed Matthew 17:20. However, in light of Mrs. 2K’s testimony, mustard seed faith is just the beginning of what God wants to do in our lives.
To the extent of this widow’s faith
was the amount of her provision.
Do we obey in the areas God calls us to? Are we willing to include others? Are there regrets over the amount of faith we offer to God?EXPERIMENT OF FAITH –
1. Go to your neighbor (s) and borrow jars for an indefinite period of time
2. The empty jar represents a need requiring faith for the answer
3. Trust God alone
4. Watch for His answer
5. Return the jar to your neighbor with a testimony of God’s faithfulness!
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