Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. – II Kings 4:3-6
This story has been on my mind for a few weeks. We often hear that our vessel must be empty for God to fill it, and we relate that to a blessing God has solely for us. What struck me this time is the fact that the empty vessels were used to bless someone else!
The widow’s son was sent to borrow all the empty vessels which God used to provide oil in abundance. Note the vessels were borrowed. I cannot help but think about the mutual blessing here. With oil in abundance, the widow had more than enough oil to sell to pay her debts and save her sons from bondage. Although scripture does not tell us, I wonder if she also returned the borrowed vessels to her neighbors with some oil in them.
What a great reminder this has been! It is not always about me. Sometimes, God empties my vessel so that I can be a blessing to others. I hope that when He does empty it, I am always willing to do with it what He wills.
Friend, do not be afraid when God empties you out because He might just have big plans for you if you are willing to be used. What will you do when God empties your vessel?
by Melissa Caperton