2 Kings 4:1-7
Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

Thought For Today:

Oil serves multiple purposes. We use it for cooking and lubrication. Although you may not consider oil important for your car, it becomes evident when you see smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe or hear metal rubbing against metal. Additionally, a little red light may illuminate on your car dashboard requesting you to check your engine oil. Most engine oils start to degrade between 3-5K miles, which is why car manufacturers recommend oil changes every 3-4K miles. However, the frequency of oil changes also depends on the type of oil used.

In the scripture, there is a story of a woman whose sons were about to be taken away for payment. She went to Elisha seeking help. Elisha asked her what she had in her house, and she replied that she only had a pot of oil. The woman didn't think her oil could help her deliver her sons, but God's ways are not our ways. Just like how Elijah had told another woman that God said the barrel of meal would not waste, and neither would the cruse of oil fail until God sent rain upon the earth, Elisha wanted this woman to know that her little pot of oil would be enough to meet her need. The passage highlights the importance of putting faith into action. A man of God instructed a woman to gather as many vessels as she could find, go into her house and start pouring. Despite not fully comprehending the purpose of the task, she trusted the man of God and followed his instructions. As a result, she was able to meet her requirements and save her sons. The passage questions whether we too have the faith to follow the teachings of God and step out of our comfort zones in order to meet our needs. James emphasizes the importance of faith in conjunction with action, as faith without works is dead.