Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 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.” She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her, and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 2 Kings 4:3-6
Elisha was a bold man of God. To give you an idea of how audacious he was, he once requested to receive double the portion of God’s Spirit than his mentor had. Elisha was a fearless man who had great faith in God and had no trouble making a difficult ask. In the passage above, a widow comes to him with a request of her own. This woman was married to a prophet who feared the Lord. Because her husband was deceased, she had outstanding debts and feared the enslavement of her sons. Elisha instructs her to ask for jars, but not just a few.
The widow goes and collects the jars as directed. With the help of her sons, she begins filling them up. What is important to note here is that the amount of oil was directly related to the number of jars collected. What does the number of jars collected reflect? Faith. In this account, the reader is led to believe that there would have been as much oil as there were jars to put it in.
Jesus spoke these words to His disciples in Matthew 7, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” The reality is that God wants us to ask boldly. Demonstrate to God what you think He’s capable of.
DO THIS TODAY: Ask God to direct your prayer life boldly today. Have faith and collect jars.