God Provides More

2 Kings 4:1-7 – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+4%3A1-7&version=ESV

In chapters 4-8 of 2 kings there are a number of stories about Elisha and the miracles he performed. Each of them teaches us something about our God and His care for us. This first one teaches us that He provides more than we need.

Here was a woman with two sons, her husband (who had been a prophet) was dead. She was in debt. Her creditors were going to come and take her children to sell them as slaves. So she came to Elisha. She hoped God would provide. And boy did he! Once she had gotten as many vessels as she could, God miraculously filled them all with oil. There was so much that she was able to sell it, pay off her debtor and have plenty left over for her and her sons to live on.

We confess in the explanation to the first article of the creed that our Father in heaven “Daily and richly gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals and all I need to support this body and life.”

There are certainly times where we it seems like we have been abandoned. There may be long periods where we have very little, or none at all. Still as the psalmist says “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.” God provides. So often too He gives us so much more than we need (which is especially true for us in America!). Why does he do all this? The creed can answer that as well:

“He does all this because He is my good and gracious Father in heaven. Not because of anything I have done to earn or deserve it.” Jesus died to make God your Father. Each meal he provides, each day, each dollar is a sweet reminder of His love to you because of the forgiveness of sins. “For all of this it is my duty to thank, praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.”

Amen.