Hopes and dreams beat in the heart of everyone. We all have certain desires, and many will work to see those dreams come to pass only to have life come along and kick them hard, knocking them senseless. Seldom does a week pass that I don’t have someone share with me the hurt and pain they are experiencing because of life. A great portion of the last two days have been spent praying for people I love dearly. They are hurting and some are scared, wondering, “What is God doing with me right now?” I couldn’t help but think of Peter being sifted as wheat. Early this morning my mind went to a story found in II Kings 4. It is the story of a widow and the situation she found herself in. Perhaps the thoughts I have about her will help you.

  1. She had Dreams. Most, not all, young people desire to find someone to love. The desire for their life, at least Christians, is to marry and set up their own home. Marriage is the oldest of all human institutions and the foundation on which society is built. The lady in the story was like millions of others with dreams and aspirations. As a young girl, no doubt, she dreamed of “prince charming” and when he finally arrived, she was thrilled to wed and have her own family. It was a match made in heaven. God had finally answered her prayers for a husband. She also had hit the jackpot with the man she married. He didn’t have money, but he had a love for God. I know this because he was one of the “sons of the prophets.” That little phrase means he was in Bible college. Samuel had begun the schools as he rode on his “circuit” and down through the years others had taken up the leadership. Elisha was now the man in charge of training the young men that God had called to preach. The young lady had a husband that loved God which is huge. Next, the Lord began to give her children. Two boys arrived on the scene and every single day she would bask in the sunshine of God’s blessings. But then…
  2. She has a Detour. Do you remember the little thought at the beginning of the article? You know, that life will kick you and kick you hard? Her husband dies suddenly (4:1). A good man that loves God and loves his family is now gone. He leaves a wife and two boys which are now most likely at least ten years old. He was working paying the bills while training for ministry doing the best he could, and then the Lord called him home to heaven. The times in which this story takes place were hard times for widows and orphans. The nights get short as the bills are coming due. She has the extra burden of someone taking her boys as payment for debt. We could say she’s had a detour. In a short span of time, she’s gone from an intact family to the possibility of being by herself, not knowing what’s happening with her boys. Our lives can change quickly so what do we do?
  3. She seeks Direction. This young widow, a mother with boys recognizes her need. She comes to the Lord’s prophet Elisha and begins to lay out her problem. “You remember my husband; he was one of your students. He died leaving me in debt and now the creditors are about to take my boys as slaves to pay that debt.” The prophet responds by asking her two things. One, “What do you want?” Two, “What do you have in the house?” Those two questions can be applied to us. What is it that we desire from the Lord and what do we have that God can use? She had demands in her life that she could not fulfill and saw no way out of her plight. She even has a social stigma to her situation. Society would call her a deadbeat because of her indebtedness, and she would be looked upon as second class, as a widow. Widows and orphans are near the heart of God and HE constantly is giving us commands and instructions concerning them in the scripture. Why does God do this? The weak in society are often abused by the powerful and few are weaker than widows and orphans. This widow with two boys now finds herself in this awful predicament. What shall I do for thee? Prayer is huge for Christians. Mark 11:24 is a verse that I memorized early in my Christian life. “Therefore, I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Throughout the Bible, receiving from praying seems to be connected to our desires. An old saying that we ought to remember is this. “No prayer, no blessing; some prayer, some blessing; much prayer, much blessing.” The second question Elisha asked, “What do you have in the house?” Her answer, “a pot of oil.” The prophet directs her to go to the neighbors and borrow as many pots and containers as possible. I love the phrase he uses “borrow not a few.” She sends his sons to the neighbors, and they bring in containers from every neighbor that will lend. One of the symbols of the Holy Spirit in the Bible is “oil.” When we have the oil of God on us, we can do and see the power and glory of the Lord. The floor of the little house is covered with vessels. The neighbors are now curious, and the prophet has instructed her to close the door with only her and the boys inside. Take the oil jar you have and begin to pour it into the other vessels. She begins pouring. Her jar never stops until the very last vessel is full. Elisha put her briefly in the olive oil business. After a short time, Elisha directs her to go sell the oil, pay your debt, and live your life, along with your boys, on the rest.

One final thought for today. She and her sons were in privacy as this great event was taking place. It is an important truth for us to remember. What we are in private is what we are! Robert Murry M’Cheyne was a young Scottish preacher from Dundee. He died before age 30 but my, what an impact he had on thousands of ministers since. “What a minister is on his knees in secret, before God Almighty, that he is and no more.” That is sobering for me as a preacher but let me adapt that little quote for all of us. “What a Christian is on his or her knees in secret, before God Almighty, that he is and no more.” The blessing that happened in private would in a short time reveal itself publicly as she sold olive oil when she’d never done that before, but let’s not forget it began in private. Her situation was terrible, and it happened fast but she came to the right place, the Lord. He and he alone can take tragedy and make it triumphant.