Shut the Door!
You may have come across the half-full/half-empty glass of water expression, which denotes a person’s perspective as either optimistic or pessimistic respectively. Sometimes, we are faced with different situations in life that may be beyond our control; but how we respond to such situations is dependent on us- our worldview is voluntary.
In 2 Kings 4, one of the wives of the sons of the prophets had just lost her husband who had left her and her sons with a heap of debt. The creditors were ready to take her sons as slaves as a form of payment. With her not ready to lose her sons as well, she cried out to Elisha, the prophet, who her husband served under. From 2 Kings 4: 2- 4 (AMP), let’s look at the conversation that was held between Elisha and the widow :
Elisha: “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have [of value] in the house?”.
Widow: “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a [small] jar of [olive oil]”.
As of that time, the jar of oil seemed so insignificant in the current situation she was faced with. Her perspective was similar to the half-empty glass of water but Elisha had a different perspective from hers. He saw the jar of oil as a valuable seed needed to bring about a bountiful harvest. It has been said that God never creates something out of nothing. There is a seed that God has deposited into each an every one of us. When God created us, there was a purpose He placed inside us and He deposited the necessary seed or gift that is needed to help that purpose blossom. If we look at the human anatomy, God deposited in man, a seed called the sperm and inside a woman a seed called the egg. Once those two seeds (sperm and egg) are planted and fertilized, it produces a child (the harvest). The size of a sperm or egg is so small when compared to the size of a new baby- God truly never creates something out of nothing!
As you ask the Holy Spirit to unveil that seed in you, you will begin to recognize those skills or abilities God has deposited in you. You may have looked down on it in the past, but as you begin to pour those abilities into “containers” of life, a.k.a, opportunities; you will notice that those abilities will begin to blossom. I used to think God skipped me when He gave people talents and I recall a friend, who said ‘that’s impossible. We all have talents given to us by God, even if it is one”. As I pondered on that over time and began the seed exploration, I discovered I loved organizing and that I had a great attention to detail, something I had never seen as significant.
The conversation between the widow and Elisha continues:
Elisha: “Go, borrow containers from all your neighbors, empty containers- and not just a few. Then you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out [the oil you have] into all these containers, and you shall set aside each one when it is full”.
Sometimes, the Holy Spirit will direct us to pour into empty containers, which are not ours but borrowed vessels. These containers may take the form of “Opportunities”; not just any kind of opportunities, but volunteer opportunities, giving out free services/ products, where there is no monetary value being derived from them. If we pour our all into what you may call as “empty opportunities”, it is just a matter of time before those “empty opportunities” are converted into “full opportunities”.
As God would have it, my very “small jar of oil” was turned by God into an Event Planning and Management organization. This was just the beginning of the journey of pouring. As inspired by the Holy spirit and my mentor, I started pouring into “empty containers” by offering my event planning and management services to some organizations for free, in an attempt to begin to build my portfolio and gain experience. Was it challenging at times? YES!!! Were there times I wanted to stop? OH YES!!! But thank God for the support system around me that kept me accountable and continued to encourage me that things would get better. This brings me to an aspect of the instruction Elisha gave to the widow.
“Then you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons and pour out [the oil you have] into all these containers” (2 Kings 4:4).
There is a reason why Elisha told the widow to shut the door behind her and her sons before pouring, and this is because of distractions. There are different pathways of destiny that we all will go through, and this is totally okay. We need to remain focused on what our God-ordained pathway is and not try taking the route ordained for our colleagues. This is called Distraction!!! It has been said that it is not how fast you get to a place that matters but how well. Sometimes, when we try to take a shortcut, it ends up cutting us short. We need focus to win the race that has been set before us. Focus helps a person to ensure they don’t get into another person’s lane and in the process get disqualified. There are times you need to separate yourself (not isolate yourself) but separate yourself from certain things or people;while still surrounding yourself with like-minded people, and pouring all of you into what God has called you to do. Sometimes, that may look like taking a break from different social media platforms, certain group chats etc. The intent is to remain focused and not allow distraction to set in. Sometimes, that period might seem you are doing the same thing over and over again but don't give up, because with time, you will reap the harvest, if you endure till the end.
The harvest time is very different for everyone and just like the time of harvest is much longer than the harvest of maize. A skilled cocoa farmer knows not to allow discouragement to set in when he sees a maize farmer reaping a bountiful harvest of his maize crop. When the time of harvest for the cocoa finally arrives, he knows the return from his cocoa replicates itself in multiple folds. The sowing season may sometimes be painful but the good news is, harvest time is sweet!!!
Psalms 126:5-6 NLT “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest”
Let’s look at what happened with the widow (2 Kings 4:5-7 NKJV)
“5. So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out.
6. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”
7. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”
The small jar of oil that seemed insignificant had multiplied into numerous vessels of oil, which covered not only her debt but she and her household could live off the rest.
Finally, I got the first contract call for my Event Planning and Management business and the floodgates opened, to God’s glory.
What seed has God deposited inside you? It is time to sow that seed, pour into those containers, shut the door and move into the realm of abundance. Never look down on the seed or “small” jar of oil that God has placed inside of you.
Elisha symbolizes a representative of God in this woman’s life, who provided her guidance on how to multiple her small jar of oil and for every believer, we have the Holy Spirit in us, who is our present help and can help us discover what God has placed inside of us. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, it would be a life of trial and error; but the great news is, He is willing to live inside of you today. All you have to do is surrender your heart unto Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior which begins a wonderful journey of divine guidance. If you would like to make that decision today, please say this prayer:
“Lord Jesus Christ, I believe you are the Son of God and I believe You died for me on the cross of Calvary. I know I am a sinner and today, I come to You to forgive me of all my sins and to make me a brand new creation. I accept You as my personal Lord and Saviour. Thank you Lord for forgiving me and making me born again, in Jesus name, Amen.”
Congratulations!!!! You are now born-again! (It simply means a new born baby in Christ and there is a great celebration in heaven right now because of YOU!)
If you made this decision, I will love to hear from you today! Please leave a comment on this post or reach out to me at https://www.cccghq.org/contact/
By: Pastor Ibukun Adewusi