Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.”
2 kings 4:2
There is something important here about how to help a person in need. The first question is, “What do you have?” What do you have that you could sell to pay this debt? God works with what He has already provided.
God is not limited to working with what He has already provided. But this is a pattern that we see often in the Bible.
The most obvious example is when a vast crowd gathered to hear Jesus in a remote place. After many hours they were hungry. Jesus said to His disciples, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see” (Mark 6:38).
So they went to see what God had already provided. “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” (John 6:9).
But God worked with these five loaves and two fish. In the hands of Jesus, they fed a multitude. Jesus could have created food out of nothing. But He worked with the loaves and fish that were placed in His hands.
You can see the same pattern in this story: “What do you have in the house?” “Nothing… except a jar of oil.” God could have created oil out of nothing. But He worked with the oil He had already given.
In any situation of need, look at what God has given you already. What gifts do you have? What friends, opportunities, and resources? These may be the things God works with to provide for you.
What resources has God given you that He can work with in your circumstances today?
