Xanthe Hancox

‘Your servant has nothing there at all,’ she said, ‘except a small jar of olive oil.’ Elisha said, ‘Go round and ask all your neighbours for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 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.’  2 Kings 4:2-4

If you’ve got a few extra minutes today, I’d encourage you to read the whole story about the widow’s olive oil. It’s not very long and it’s a beautiful account of faith in the darkest times.

Coconut oil is hugely trendy these days. I’ve been known to use it for everything from salad dressing to hair conditioner. Olive oil was the magic ingredient in Elisha’s time; it was a staple for everyday life. It was useful for fuel, lotion, medicine, and cooking.

When the widow tells Elisha that all she has left is a little oil, she’s really saying that once her jar is empty, her last resource for light, heat, medicine, and food will be gone. Her final resort will be to sell her sons into slavery so that debts can be paid and they will not starve to death.

No wonder she turns to the prophet for help!

But Elisha doesn’t produce a handful of shekels. Instead, he asks her what she has. That question turns her despair to hope. She sees that she has resources: oil and a God who cares for her. The miracle that happens is because she remembers that God is still present in her life, still watching over her and her family.

Sometimes we find ourselves in seemingly impossible and tragic circumstances. It’s then that we need to be reminded that God never leaves us without resources, that God is there in both the big and small tragedies of our lives.

Prayer: Father, hear our praises as well as our cries for help. We know that you always watch over us and care for us. Help us to see what we have instead of what we lack. Amen