When You Don''t Think You\'re Enough | 2 Kings 4:1-7

If you are familiar with the many miracles performed by Jesus, you have probably heard the story of when he multiplied the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish to feed a crowd of five thousand people, while still having some left over. However, many people aren’t familiar with a similar miracle performed by the prophet Elisha.

One day, Elisha was approached by a woman whose husband had recently passed away. She began to tell him how her husband had been in debt, and his creditor was on the way to take her two sons to be slaves as payment for what he owed.
 
She was so poor, all she had left in her home was one small jar of olive oil.

Hearing this, Elisha was filled with compassion and wisdom by the Holy Spirit, and he instructed her to go to all of her neighbors and collect as many of their empty jars as they could give her — not just a few. After she had done this, she was instructed to completely fill all of the jars with the oil from the small container she had in her home.

She immediately did as he told her. She and her sons collected a multitude of jars, and by the miraculous power of the Holy Spirt, her small jar of olive oil was multiplied to fill all of their empty jars, and there was even some left over in her original jar.

She ran to Elisha and told him what the Lord had done for her, and he instructed her to go and sell the jars of oil she had filled to pay off her debts, and to live off of the money that remained.

When I read this passage, and when I read the fish/loaves story of Jesus, one point in particular stands out to me:

God can and will use whatever we have to give.

What if the woman had heard what Elisha told her, and let her response be something along the lines of “There’s no way God can use my small amount of oil to fill those jars…”
 
Her entire life would have been hindered. She would have lost her sons. She would have probably died from starvation resulting from her poverty. She would have never known the love and kindness and generosity of God... All because she didn't believe that God could use what she believed to be insignificant.

Aren’t we all guilty of having this response to some degree? Don’t we all look at ourselves — our gifts, talents, resources, interests — and believe that it’s just not good enough? That we can’t be used by God for something great?

Do NOT let yourself believe that lie.

God created you with a purpose that only you can fulfill. If you let yourself get consumed by doubt, you will be walking away from a chance to let God do a miracle in you, and create greatness from whatever you have to give.

No amount is too small for God to work with. Nothing about you is regarded as insignificant or “not enough” for Him.
 
All He asks of you is that you give Him everything you have, and let Him refine it and multiply it.

Who you are will always be enough for Him.
 
Author | Meredith Ashburn