Morning Devotional

November 12, 2004
"Advanced Life (Part 1)"

by Don Emmitte

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One day the widow of one of Elisha's fellow prophets came to Elisha and cried out to him, "My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the LORD. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves." "What can I do to help you?" Elisha asked. "Tell me, what do you have in the house?" "Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil," she replied. And Elisha said, "Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting the jars aside as they are filled." So she did as she was told. Her sons brought many jars to her, and she filled one after another. Soon every container was full to the brim! "Bring me another jar," she said to one of her sons. "There aren't any more!" he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing. When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, "Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and there will be enough money left over to support you and your sons." (2 Kings 4:1-7 NLT).

The first verse of our reading this morning is the epitome of desperation. It is easy to feel the stress of the widow! She knew what it meant to be “bummed out”! She understood frustration! She knew how it felt to have the walls cave in around her! Unfortunately that’s not an uncommon feeling. Have you ever been there? If you have then you have enrolled in “Advanced Life.” In fact, you may have even taken the graduate level of that course!

Let me make a few observations over the next few mornings that might be encouraging to you. First, note that she felt hopeless. By the time this lady reaches the prophet Elisha, she is already at the breaking point. The Scripture says she "cried out" to Elisha. To me, this indicates her emotional state was fragile. Her husband was dead. In those days he would have certainly been the family's financial provider. He must have had some debt, and now the people he owed were coming looking to her for payment. The only possessions of value she had were her two sons. The creditors were going to take them and sell them as slaves to pay the debt.

In that male dominated society, she was at their mercy. She truly felt there was no hope! It wasn’t that this was a family of sinners. We are told that the dead husband and father “feared the Lord”. This is more than just knowledge about the Lord. It meant he honored and obeyed him with his life. So, without sin, there was no apparent reason for the trials this lady was undergoing – or was there? The truth is that it was simply life, doing as life does! But, it is at times like this, when we recognize even for the greatest Christian people, that life sometimes hurts.

Are you going through one of those times? Can you identify with the widow? Perhaps, as we look at this story this week, we will find answers from the God who never changes which will help us through our trials of life! Until then, know this: the story ends well! If you are trusting in Jesus, your story will too!