Once upon a time, there was a kind woman who lived all alone with her two sons. They were very poor, and she was very worried. One day, she came to a man of God named Elisha. She was sad and said, “My husband has died, and now someone wants to take my children to be slaves because I cannot pay my debts.”
Elisha looked at her with loving eyes and asked, “What do you have in your house?” She thought for a moment and said, “I have nothing but a little oil.” Elisha smiled gently and said, “Go and ask your neighbors for empty jars. Then go into your house and close the door behind you and your sons.”
The woman did exactly what Elisha said. She asked many neighbors for empty jars. Soon, she had a big pile of jars. She and her sons went inside her small house and shut the door tight. Then she started pouring her little oil into the jars.
Something wonderful happened! The oil kept flowing and flowing. It never stopped! One jar was filled, then another, and another. The jars were filling up like magic! The woman’s heart began to beat fast with hope and joy.
When all the jars were full, the oil stopped flowing. The house was filled with so many jars of oil! She smiled and said, “God has done a miracle for me!” She took the jars to sell the oil. With the money, she paid all her debts.
She was so happy. She hugged her sons and thanked God for His wonderful help. She now knew God would always take care of her, even when things looked very hard.
Elisha’s words and God’s miracle showed that God loves us and helps us in times of trouble. Sometimes, we might feel scared or sad, but God is always there to give us hope and joy, just like He did for the widow and her sons.
Questions to think about
- What did the widow have that she could use to help her family?
- How did Elisha help the widow?
- What happened when she poured the oil into the jars?
- How do you think the widow felt when the oil kept flowing?
- What can we learn about God from this story?
Message of the story
God loves us and helps us when we are in trouble. He can do amazing things to take care of us, even when we feel scared or alone.
Bible passage
2 Kings 4:1-7
2 Kings 4:1-7 (ICB)
1 Now a woman who was the wife of a man from the group of prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant’s husband is dead. And you know that your servant was faithful to the Lord. But now a creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”
2 Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a little oil.”
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Do not ask for just a few.”
4 “Then go inside, and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars. When one jar is full, put it aside.”
5 So the woman went away and shut the door behind her and her sons. They kept pouring oil.
6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another jar.” But he said to her, “There is no more.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
7 She went and told the man of God. He said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
