In 2 Kings 4:1-7 KJV, the prophet Elisha encountered a widow with Two (2) sons who was up to her head in debt and her debtors were about to take her sons into slavery as reimbursement. Let’s just say that we have come quite far from the 9th Century BCE because in this part of the world, you’re welcome to freely owe the bank or credit card companies and they will not come for your children to enslave them. It’s also sad to note that there are parts of the world that still experience this kind of thing. Poverty and hardship is real and if you haven’t been there before, it can be a bit hard for you to fathom that something of that nature can happen.
When she ran to the prophet for help, Elisha asked her a very simple but powerful question, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” 2 Kings 4:2a KJV. The Amplified Bible expands on it by asking, “.. what do you have [of value] in the house?”. The first time I read this scripture I said to myself, “dude, if she had something of value wouldn’t she sell it already to save her dear life and her children from these debtors?”. Then the Holy Spirit assisted me in understanding this a bit better. The widow told Elisha she had olive oil in her home, correct? So, obviously, she had something that God can use to get her out of the rut she was in. That seems to be most of us – when situations overwhelm us, we fail to see the vessels that God can use to bless us. He has bestowed gifts, talents, skills and opportunities in us, around us and through us. He meticulously gave us all these because He knows that there will be times in our course of life that we will need these gifts, talents, skills and destined people to survive.
Here’s where I stand, if you’re always praying to God to bless you or get you out of some situation, have you presented anything before Him yet that He can use to bless you or work through that to get you into a better place? It can be anything you have that is of value to you and to God. It can be the people in your life that you keep ignoring because you don’t see them with Angelic wings flying around. God blesses men through men and that systemic order will never change. Every person you meet carries a grace that you do not see. Your part in this is to be spiritually sensitive and discern when and what He is using to bless you.
XOXO,
Lady Abena.