Don't stop, fill every pot!

While reading the littlies a bible story the other night, it felt like I was reading from my new daily life – until I got to a certain point. Let me back up a bit and read you a story. The story of the Widows Oil.

There was once a woman who had no husband. She had no food. She had no money. But she had plenty of problems.

Knock! Knock! Knock! There was one more problem waiting at the door. A man was outside. The woman was inside. She opened the door.

“Give me the money you owe!” demanded the man. “But I have no money,” the woman said. “Give me the money, or give me your sons!” said the man, then he left.

The woman was very unhappy.
She hurried to find Elisha. Elisha was God’s friend.

“My husband owed money to a man,” the woman told Elisha, “but now my husband is dead. I have no money. The man said he will take my sons if I don’t pay him.”

“How can I help?” asked Elisha. “Tell me what you have in your house.” “Nothing,” the woman answered, “except a little oil.”

So far, the story is VERY similar to what we experience on a regular basis at Jordan House. A lot of the people in the slums of Kasubi where we work are widows who have very little or no food, no money and plenty of problems. Often money is owed to landlords (yes, even in the slums you have to pay to live in a small rundown room we may think is only suitable for storing wood or dogs), or to others that have lent them money. A womans sons might not be taken off her (or they might), but she may be forced out of her house or to abandon her children or similar. We see these woman both in the community and when they come to Jordan House knowing there’s ‘friends of God’ there to ask for help.

We find out more about their situation, and what resources they have available to them, and it wouldn’t be out of place for one to say they had only a little oil.
Now we’re up to the part where I got challenged big time, and I think it’s a challenge we should all think about. Elishas response. He served the same God we serve, and he was human just like us. Yet his response was so different to the response we often have. His response shouted his unwavering faith.

“Go,” said Elisha, “Ask all your neighbours for empty pots. Don’t ask some of your neighbours – ask them all. And don’t ask for just a few pots – ask for as many as your friends can lend you. Then go inside your house. Shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the pots. As each pot is filled, put it aside. Don’t stop... fill every pot!”

The woman had only a tiny bit of oil… just a few drips. Not enough to fill many pots. Not enough to fill any pots! But she did not argue. She believed God would do a miracle.

To cut the story short for those not familiar with it – she does as Elisha says and the miracle happens, she sells the oil as instructed, pays off her debt and lives off the rest. You can read it in 2 Kings 4

Our response is to assess the situation (as Elisha also did), then to prayerfully see what we should do to bring about a long term solution to the problem eg/ micro-finance loan or free training in our womens empowerment course leading to employment, as well as often meeting the immediate need for food in the form of a food parcel if necessary, child sponsorship or some other form of support. Often these are steps of faith in themselves because our funds are definitely limited and it’s often a challenge to seek out the best long term solution for each particular family - rather than just giving handouts, and not seeing their situation change. We pray with them, and have seen God answer prayer, but we’ve never told anyone to ask their neighbours for empty bottles to fill with the little oil they have in their house. And we may not be meant to anyway - but my point is ‘would I be willing to do that if God asked me to? Would I have the faith to do that?’

It’s so much easier to come up with a practical solution to a problem than to believe God would do something as crazy as not letting someones oil run out. But sometimes that might be just what he wants us to do, or something on an equivalent scale. I’m praying for the faith to believe for the absolutely seemingly impossible - that can only direct all glory back to him. The fact that our family is even in Uganda is testament to his ability to do that, but I want to see it every day. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be finding ways to physically care for the widowed, orphanded and poor, because I firmly believe we should and Gods word clearly tells us we should. But God didn’t mean for his miraculous intervention to be an exception to the rule. John 14:12-14 says "I tell you the truth. The person that believes in me will do the same things I have done. Yes! He will do even greater things than I have done. Why? Because I am going to the Father. And if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it for you. Then the Father's glory will be shown through the Son. If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it."
God already promises he’ll come through. Sometimes the physical help we offer is indeed him doing just that and answering a widow or childs prayer, but I think sometimes we may need to pray a bit more dangerously and be ready to follow through on what he asks of us, believing that he IS true to his word.

Challenged much? I sure am!