May 19, 2023
Such a bountiful heart thy God hath, while thou art asking a little peace and joy, he bids thee open thy mouth wide and he will fill it. Go and ransack thy heart, Christian, from one end to the other, find out thy wants, acquaint thyself with all thy weaknesses, and set them before the Almighty, as the widow her empty vessels before the prophet; hadst thou more than thou canst bring, thou mayest have them all filled.
William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour
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The story referenced in this quote is from 2 Kings 4, where a widow is indebted, and her creditor will take her children from her if she can’t pay. She only owns one jar of oil, so the prophet Elisha has her gather every empty vessel she can find and then instructs her to go into a closet and dump the jar of oil into the empty containers. She eventually runs out of jars because God provides her with so much. She sells the oil to clear her debts and then has money left over for her and her children to live on. We see a similar story in the new testament when Jesus takes five loaves of bread and two fish, multiplies them to feed 5,000 people, and still has leftovers.
Don’t be conservative with your requests to God. Search your heart for your weaknesses and needs and lay them all at the feet of Jesus, and he will fill them. He may even give you more than you ask.