Matt 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” NIV
The text we will read can be found at 2 Kings 4:1-7
The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a little oil.” Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” NIV
This is a powerful true story. Here are some important lessons we can learn from it:
1. Only when we are empty, can we be filled! Look at that poor woman who had just lost her husband. She came to God having “nothing at all”. She was asked to collect “emptiness” from her neighbours, not a few, but as many as possible. What can God do with emptiness? A lot! He can fill all the emptiness!
However what does God do with people who are full? He can do nothing at all! Look at that rich young ruler leaving Jesus behind because he could not empty himself (See Matt 19:16-22) If we want to be filled we need to be empty! God can not bless us abundantly if we have our hands full and we refuse to drop anything that keeps them full!
2. We will be filled according to the measure of our faith. Notice when the oil stopped. Only when there were no other empty jars left, did the oil stop from flowing. I can imagine the look of disappointment on the widow’s face when she found out there were no more empty vessels, and right then and there the oil stopped from flowing. I can imagine saying to herself: “Why didn’t I collect more empty jars!” According to our faith we will be blessed. If we believe God can bless us only so much, that’s what we will get. Do we want to see real miracles in our life? Let us believe and wait on the Lord and don’t be disappointed if we receive only what we expect.
3. Don’t be content merely in presenting our own emptiness to our Heavenly Father. We need to collect the emptiness and pain from all around us and present those as well to our Father. This is what we are doing in this ministry. We are presenting the emptiness and hurts from many people we don’t even know off. Unknowingly we are opening ourselves to the blessings from heaven. Believe that intercession does good and see miracles happen!
4. The volume of our emptiness determines the amount of our filling. Let us get rid of all that spiritual junk food! Works don’t work and does not impress our Heavenly Father! Religious righteousness only makes us feel proud and is just a devoid appearance. Let us come to God with our emptiness and drop anything that keeps us from being filled.
5. Oil throughout the Bible represents the Holy Spirit. To see His manifestation more fully we have to let Him have full reign of our life. Again our emptiness will lead to His total manifestation in our life.
Would you like to be filled?
In His love,
Rob Chaffart
Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org ]]>