2 Kings tells the story of a woman with a problem. Her husband has died, leaving her and her two sons in debt and without provision to cover said debt. In her desperation, she turns to Elisha, the man of God, for help. Elisha asks her two questions: What do you need and what do you have? She said that all she had was a small jar of oil. Elisha instructs her to gather as many jars as she can, lock herself and her sons in their home, and pour the oil into the jars. She did as she was told, and, when she began to pour the oil, it did not stop! The oil flowed until all the vessels were filled. When she told Elisha, he told her to sell all the jars and use the profit to pay the debts and live off what was left.

How often in life do we find ourselves faced with problems like hers? It seems to happen more often than not. When these moments come, we can follow the example of this woman. We first turn to God and His people. It is there that we find the advice and counsel we need to move from problem to a solution. God will always ask us what we need from Him. He wants us to have the faith to articulate our needs so that He can move. He will, after hearing our request, point us to the tools He has already given us. He has already equipped us to face the problems we face.

The miracle comes when we obey. God has equipped us; now, He instructs us. His instructions are the same as Elisha’s: bring the vessels. We are vessels. The people in our world are vessels. If we have a problem, we need to look at the empty vessel in our life. Where have we not allowed God to move in or to fill? Lift those areas to God. He will pour out His oil to fill that area of our life. We are also called to bring empty vessels—our friends, family, neighbors, etc…Bring them to the House and see God fill them! Through all of this, God’s blessings will flow and the problems will resolve. So rise up and be the vessel for God!