Today’s Scripture: 2 Kings 4:2; Mark 12:41-44
Have you ever become so overwhelmed with your circumstances that you couldn’t see what you have because you were captivated by what you DON’T have? The widow in this week’s story was stuck in that place. When Elisha asked her what she had in her house, she stated, “[I] have nothing there at all, except a little oil.” Except. At least she didn’t stop at nothing.
We recently had a garage sale at our house. It’s funny how differently you look at things when you’re getting ready for a sale. Forgotten items that had been stored for years in unopened boxes suddenly had value. Things that collected dust on basement shelves now merited cleaning and polishing so they would look attractive to potential buyers. For years, we shuffled and moved those items to get them out of the way. Now we wanted them front and center because a garage sale merited these things worthy of attention—and a possible sale.
Elisha’s question to the widow caused her to take a second look at what was on her shelf. This way, she could find a little hope in her hopeless situation. Notice, her immediate response was that she had “nothing at all.” Then she added that she had a little oil. If the woman had oil, then she also had a container to keep it in.
It’s interesting what we miss when all we can see is impossibility. When God our Salvation encourages you to take another look, don’t look for nothing. Look for the little bit of oil and see the container that holds it. That could be the beginning of hope that brings you out of desperation.
- What do you have in your house? If you think you’ve run out of resources to face another day, ask God your salvation to show you what’s on your shelf that you might be missing.