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To read:
2 Kings 4:1-7
Now the wife of a member of the company of prophets cried to
Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your
servant feared the Lord, but a creditor has come to take my two
children as slaves.” Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you?
Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant
has nothing in the house, except a jar of oil.” He said, “Go
outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and
not just a few. Then go in, and shut the door behind you and your
children, and start pouring into all these vessels; when each is
full, set it aside.” So she left him and shut the door behind her
and her children; they kept bringing vessels to her, and she kept
pouring. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me
another vessel.” But he said to her, “There are no more.” 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 children can
live on the rest.” |
To think about:
The widow cried out, "My husband is dead; and you know that your
servant feared the Lord, but a creditor has come..." These are
particularly poignant words for me today as my mother-in-law in
Guatemala, cried out only days ago, "My husband is gone...my life is
gone...I have nothing, no future, nothing!" This is the cry of women
throughout the world who live in societies where one's status, one's
income, one's very existence depend completely upon the status,
income, and goodness of the man of the family. Over the years, I
have lived within patriarchal societies for weeks at a time. It is
only now, after hearing my mother-in-law's tormented cry and
experiencing the events of these days, that I can more fully
understand the pain and fear that enter a woman's heart when ALL is
suddenly ripped from her.
Grief, mingled with fear, gripped my extended family in Guatemala,
for days. And then, just when it seemed as if our hearts would burst
from the torment, hope entered in. From near and far, vessels were
brought in and they have been filled with oils of grace, goodness,
and even joy. My mother-in-law has found resources she never knew
she had in her son (my most amazing husband!), in her eighteen year
old grandson, who has grown into a man over night, and in her
daughters who refuse to be tied to the mores of their society.
Neighbors continue to daily pour out the oils of healing, prayer,
companionship, faith.
As the widow has cried out to God in her darkest days, she has come
to know again that God does, indeed, provide all she needs. This is
the lesson for all of us: as we cry out, God responds and we are
provided with all we need to take the next step in life. We are
blessed with the assurance that our vessels will be filled by our
loving, merciful and compassionate God! |
