2 Kings 4:6–7: “Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that [the widow] said to her son, ‘Bring me another vessel.’ And he said to her, ‘There is not another vessel.’ So the oil ceased. 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 live on the rest.'”

July 29th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

A prophet’s widow had debts and the creditor was going to take her children as slaves. She went to Elisha for help, and God miraculously supplied her with oil that filled as many vessels as she could find, thus alleviating her debt and giving her money for the future as well. We find in this a beautiful Old Testament story of the sufficiency of God to take care of the needs in a believer’s life.

There is a second lesson here that is not quite as obvious as the Lord providing for His children. Did you notice that the oil stopped flowing only after all the vessels were full? Throughout the Bible, oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. When the Lord blesses our lives, He increases our capacity; and if we continually pour out the Holy Spirit into other people’s lives, then the Lord will keep pouring into us. No oil is ever wasted if we continue to empty ourselves into the people around us. The first lesson is summed up in the words of J. Hudson Taylor, “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.” The second lesson is that without an empty vessel there is no miracle.

A martial arts student said to his teacher, “I’ve learned all you have to teach me about defending myself. I want to learn one thing more now. Please teach me about the ways of God.” The teacher took a kettle and started pouring the student’s cup full of tea. Soon the cup was full and the tea began to spill over into the saucer. The teacher continued to pour until the tea filled the saucer and ran onto the floor. The student finally said, “Stop, stop. The cup can’t take any more.” The teacher responded, “That is exactly your problem. You are so full of yourself that there is no room in your life for God. It is not possible for you to learn the ways of God until you learn to empty yourself.” So we pray:

“LORD, we are empty. Please fill us again.”