The Miracle Begins with What You Already Have
2 Kings 4:1–7
The Miracle Begins with What You Already Have
2 Kings 4:1–7
Intersections | Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Preparing for Week 2 of “The Gospel According to The Servants”
What Do You Have?
She has lost her husband.
She’s about to lose her sons.
And all she has is a small jar of oil.
But Elisha doesn’t give her a formula.
He doesn’t shame her for not having enough.
He asks a simple question: “What do you have in your house?”
That’s where the miracle begins,
Not with abundance,
But with almost nothing.
The God of resurrection doesn’t need ideal conditions.
Just empty vessels.
And a little oil.
Context: Setting the Scene
Literary Context
This story comes early in Elisha’s prophetic ministry. Like his predecessor Elijah, Elisha’s miracles often serve the poor, widowed, and marginalized. The entire chapter is filled with stories of provision, healing, and the defiant love of God breaking into desperate situations. This particular account reads like sacred folklore, a miracle so practical and intimate it almost slips by unnoticed.
Historical/Theological Context
In ancient Israel, widows were among the most vulnerable people in society. Without male protection or provision, they were often left in poverty. This woman’s situation is further complicated by the legal system: a creditor is coming to take her sons into indentured servitude. Elisha’s response models what prophetic ministry looks like, it listens, dignifies, and activates the little we have into more than enough.
2 Kings 4:1–7 (NLT)
1 One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out,
“My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord.
But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.”
2 “What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?”
“Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replied.
3 And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors.
4 Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you.
Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.”
5 So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another.
6 Soon every container was full to the brim! “Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons.
“There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing.
7 When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her,
“Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.”
Key Insights (Expanded)
Miracles often start with our small, overlooked resources. The woman says she has “nothing”, then remembers the oil. Sometimes our hope is hiding in plain sight. God doesn’t need what we don’t have. God multiplies what we do.
Asking for help is part of the miracle. Elisha tells her to go borrow jars from neighbors. The community becomes part of the provision. Vulnerability opens the door to blessing.
Provision doesn’t always look supernatural, it looks like enough. The miracle isn’t showy. No thunder or lightning. Just jar after jar filling up quietly behind closed doors. God shows up in ordinary overflow.
The oil stops when the jars run out. The Spirit fills what we make room for. There’s a beautiful relationship here between human participation and divine generosity. No jars, no flow.
Justice is practical. This miracle doesn’t end with awe. It ends with bills paid and children free. God’s provision isn’t abstract, it’s liberation.
Sacred Practice: Inventory of Grace
Ask yourself today:
“What do I already have?”
What gifts, relationships, skills, or experiences might the Spirit be ready to multiply?
Pray:
God, I feel like I don’t have enough.
But I offer what I do.
Make it more than enough.
Jesus-Centered Question
Where in your life have you been waiting for a miracle…
…when the Spirit might be asking, “What do you have in your house?”
Amen