Now there was a woman who had been married to a member of a group of prophets. She appealed to Elisha, saying, “My husband, your servant, is dead. You know how he feared the Lord. But now someone he owed money to has come to take my two children away as slaves.”
2 Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me what you still have left in the house.”
She said, “Your servant has nothing at all in the house except a small jar of oil.”
3 He said, “Go out and borrow containers from all your neighbors. Get as many empty containers as possible. 4 Then go in and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all those containers. Set each one aside when it’s full.”
5 She left Elisha and closed the door behind her and her sons. They brought her containers as she kept on pouring. 6 When she had filled the containers, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.”
He said to her, “There aren’t any more.” Then the oil stopped flowing, 7 and she reported this to the man of God.
He said, “Go! Sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what remains.”
Reflection
In Ecclesiastes Solomon wrote “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
Sometimes, we just need help.
I became aware of this phrase during rehearsals for “Mary Poppins.” I played the part of Admiral Boom. Two are better than one. I also found out that three are better than two. I also learned if while playing a part in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” you learn what comes next.
Theater folks are good people. There is always someone willing to help you out if you forget a line or a dance step. In How to Succeed…”, it was Kris Olson. I didn’t know anyone in the cast but quickly became friends with Kris. He helped me immeasurably throughout the play but mainly just being a friend.
In Mary Poppins the first two guys that come to mind are Scott Mitchell and Marty O’Donnell. Both these guys are basically my age, and both are fairly new to theater. They remembered how hard it was to remember certain lines or dance steps.
But just like I will always remember Kris Olson, I will also remember Scott Mitchell and Marty O’Donnell. These guys where there to pick me up when I fell, maybe not literally but certainly figurately. These guys helped make this time fun.
For Solomon, it was Elisha helping a poor widow. He turned a small jar of oil into a small fortune. She was able to sell most of it and live off of what was left.
Sometimes, we just need help. And God is willing and able to do it.
by Rick Reed
For Pondering and Prayer
If we need help, we should ask for it. My mother used to say she didn’t ask for God’s help for herself. But God wants us to ask for ourselves too. Sometimes it’s Elisa and oil. Other times it’s Kris and Scott and Marty. God just wants to help.
Prayer: My Lord, help me to learn to ask for your help—whether it’s something big or small. God longs to help us. In Jesus name, Amen.
