Even though Elisha was a protégé of Elijah, one of, if not the greatest prophets to ever walk the face of the earth, he was in his own right a force with which to reckon. On this day, he ministered to a widow who faced creditors coming to claim her sons as collateral on a debt of her dead husband. She needed money or she would lose her family to bill collectors. When Elisha asked what she had of value to pay the debt, she replied, "nothing but a little oil."

I wonder how many of us are seemingly drowning in a mountain of debt and unfulfilled obligation but have nothing of value in our life but a little oil? The world seems as if it's crashing in around us and we can't stop it or find a way to keep it from falling on our head. The widow found herself in such a position and God sent the prophet to help her, using the few resources she possessed.

What we can learn from this example? From the widow's perspective, we should learn to count little as much when God is in it. From the prophet's point of view, we should see God as bigger than our problems when we pray and ask to help.

Have you learned those two truths? If not, you can learn from them by doing what the widow did. When she found herself up against a wall, she took inventory to see what God had given her and then prayed, asking Him how it could be best used.

1. Pray Through the Word - 365 devotionals on the subject of prayer by James R. Green (2Ki 4; Lu 21)
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society

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