“Now a woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go, borrow containers elsewhere for yourself, empty containers from all your neighbors—do not get too few. Then you shall come in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour into all these containers; and you shall set aside what is full.” So she left him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they began bringing the containers to her, and she poured the oil. When the containers were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” But he said to her, “There are no more containers.” Then the oil stopped. So she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”(2 Kings 4:1-7 NASB)
We have all faced sparse condition, sparse situations; situations where we face a scarce number of the things we need, or we have felt what we do have is insufficient. This is applicable to our day-to-day needs, as we perceive “needs,” especially in this time of inflation. There are times when we feel like we lack the capacity or the energy to fulfill tasks or overcome challenges; challenge that we see as crisis; crisis because we forget about Christ, and ignore the true position that we can do all things through Him who strengthens us.
There are times my friend when “sparse” is a term applicable to the degree of faith we are able to muster up to manage through major spiritual mountains that must be climbed. Even in this post-pandemic world, many churches are experiencing sparse attendance. But don’t be discouraged. Stay faithful. Keep your head up! Keep your hopes high! The Lord will make a way somehow.
Well, I hope you will learn something from the passage above and from my few words to help you get through the scarce times you will experience in life. Keep this is mind! Learn from the text above! The woman above kept pouring. She kept a connection with God. She demonstrates by her obedience to the man of God, that Divine intervention by the One who knows just what we need, at times, requires work on our behalf or demands the taking of certain steps, obediently as given by God’s representative(s), to remedy our sparse condition. I hope you also noted from that text, that when God blesses you, He will bless you in multiple ways at the same time. She paid her debt. She kept her sons. They lived on the rest! Yes, when God blessed you, He will bless you and yours in more than one way! Go back and check out what I just said, looking at the woman’s blessings in the text above.
Mother’s Day is coming, and I am sure that all of us can recall how our mom’s made a way out of no way, prepared a great meal when there seemed to be not enough food in the house, or how she clothed us with home sewn clothes when the budget did not allow her to send you to the department store to purchase new outfits or even the thrift shop for used clothing. Mom, she was the one who encouraged us when our determination was sparse. Mom, she was right there with the Lord who watches your going out and coming back in. Yes, whatever time you came in, Mom was waiting, not to punish, but to gain peace that you were okay. When it came to love, there was no “sparse” amount of love when it came to Mom.
There is a song entitled, “Faith Of Our Fathers.” There should be another song that talks about the faith of our mothers, and I am talking, mothers who put their trust in the Lord, and mothers who gave us wisdom, performing their roles as representatives of the Lord; wisdom based on the word of God. I don’t know about you, but “Mom” was always present to aid me, more than expected, when I had conditions that were sparse.
Maybe I have rambled a little bit, but if you are facing sparse conditions, look to the Lord to bless you mightily. Somebody should be saying with conviction, “Won’t He do it!” Have a great Wednesday, looking forward always to that state that my Mom pointed to that is called “Better!” Be blessed!
“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single day to his life’s span? And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.” (Matthew 6:25-33 NASB)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King