A Widow With Nothing But Empty Vessels

Introduction: God wants to fill your emptiness with the oil of His Holy Presence. The Widow in our text, was empty. She was without a husband. She was broke and broken. Her finances had vanished. She had no bread and no bread winner. She had no employement or opportunity to be employed. However; she did not dwell on the difficulty of her situation but sought for an opportunity amid her difficulty. To that end, I shall share her plight, so that it might encourage every person.

I. (THE PROBLEMS CONFRONTING THE SHUNAMMITE WOMAN)

• Death of her husband.

• Dread of loneliness.

• Debt of her household.

• Despair of unemployment.

• Desperation of her creditors.

• Doom of losing her two sons.

II. (WHAT SHE DIDN’T DO AMID HER CRISIS)

• She didn’t turn to alcohol.

• She didn’t give up on her family.

• She didn’t blame the deceased.

• She didn’t divorce herself from the faith.

• She didn’t question God.

• She didn’t cease contact with the servants of God.

III. (THE WIDOW’S RESPONSE TO HER SITUATION)

• She cried unto the Lord. (Psa. 34)

• She expected Help from the Lord.

• She exercised unusual faith in God.

• She laid her pride aside and obeyed God.

• She was willing to surrender her little to obtain God’s abundance.

• She expected a blessing as a seed of the righteous.

IV. (GOD’S RESPONSE TO THE WIDOW’S NEED)

• He heard her cry.

• He used her emptiness.

• He tested her faith.

• He provided abundantly.

• He stopped the flow when the needs were met.

V. (LESSONS FROM THE WIDOW’S FAITH)

• Obedience: (verse 5) “she went from him”

• Faith: (verse 5) she shut the door upon her and her sons.

• Unity: (verse 5) her sons brought the vessels to her.

• Works: (verse 5) “she poured out”

• Results: (verse 6) “the vessels were full.”

• Responsibility: (verse 7) “*Go*, *sell the oil*,” *Pay thy debt*,” *and live.*”

VI. (LESSONS ABOUT DEBTS AND CREDITORS)

• We do well to settle our debts expeditiously in this life.

• Bread winners will not always be there.

• Health may dissipate before debts are settled.

• Unpaid debts will empty our stash and our spirits.

• Unpaid debts will down-play our worship and weaken our will to live.

• Unpaid debts will make us slaves to the lender.

• Creditors have no mercy on the miserable.

Conclusion: All of us were born debtors because of sin. The wages of sin is death and we were all guilty. Satan the creditor wants to collect our souls and our sons. But thanks to our God, who gave His Son to pay our death and cancel our debts. We too, can go into our neighborhoods and bring all of our empty vessels to Jesus, He can fill them all. God brought this woman from a weeping widow to a “CEO” of her own oil company! May God fill your empty vessels?