Walk in FreedomSample

What Do I Have?

Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.” - 2 Kings 4:1-7

Records from ancient times reveal that when people couldn’t pay their debts, creditors might take their sons as payment. Imagine for a moment that a creditor is taking one of your children as payment for a debt. Because this action is legal, there is nothing you can do. Now, imagine how hopeless the widow in this story must have felt. Ultimately, God met her need, but all of us can probably recall times in our past when hope seemed impossible. Maybe you’re going through such a time now. In Romans 15, the Apostle Paul refers to God as the “God of hope.” He writes, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NIV). If you are a believer, you have a living hope: Jesus Christ, who sits at God’s right hand. You are God’s child, and you are not alone. The Apostle Paul said that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you (1 Corinthians 3:16). He later wrote, “For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people’” (2 Corinthians 6:16 NIV). In the Book of Romans, Paul said the Holy Spirit “helps us in our weakness” and intercedes for us “in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:26- 27 NIV). And beyond this life, we also have the hope of a heavenly inheritance, which the Bible describes as a place where there will be “no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away”(Revelation 21:4 NIV). Take heart in God’s unfailing promises, both now and in the future. Seek His wisdom, and call on His name. Walk closely with Him, and trust that He loves you beyond anything you can imagine. Turn your circumstances over to Him and be assured that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NIV).

PRAY: God, you are my Father. Your love for me is greater than I can understand, and your provision for me is perfect. You know my fears God, and I trust that you are beside me as I face them. Help me to always feel your presence, and bring your promises to my mind whenever I am anxious.