How Big Is Your Prayer Request? by Yvonne Ortega
How big is your prayer request? Whether you’re divorced, widowed, or a never-married single parent, you may face financial struggles at some time in your life. Perhaps you’re in the throes of a lack of money right now. Let’s see how big your prayer request is against the three cases here.
How big is the prayer request of a widow with children?
If you are a widow how do you handle your creditors? What can you do to keep and protect your children? When you open your pantry and find only a little oil, how big is your prayer request?
The widow in 2 Kings 4:1 told the prophet Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”
In verse 2, “Elisha replied, ‘How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?’”
“Your servant has nothing there at all, . . . except a small jar of olive oil.”
How does a widow with children pray about her finances? #widow, #singleparent Share on XIn the midst of her dire circumstances, Elisha told the widow to ask her neighbors for empty jars. Would I have fulfilled that strange request? Maybe, maybe not, but I would have asked why I needed all those empty jars. What would you have done?
In verses 5-6, the widow filled jar after jar with oil. She asked one of her sons to give her another jar. But he replied, “There is not a jar left.”
“Then the oil stopped flowing.”
Elisha told her in verse 7, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
I laughed with joy. I wouldn’t call that a coincident? I’d call it “a God-incident.” What would you call it?
On her own, the widow didn’t have much. In answer to her big prayer request, God worked through Elisha. She could pay her debts, keep her sons, and live on what was left.
How about in illness?
Perhaps like a single-again friend of mine, you have cancer. You worry about the mounting bills of chemotherapy and radiation. The oncologist, the radiologist, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and the hospital all charge a hefty price for their services plus all the supplies and medication.
How does a single parent with a life-threatening illness pray? #life-threatening illness, #singleparent, Share on XMy friend prayed a huge prayer. She asked God to provide fund raisers and sponsors to cover her bills and to let her live a full life. Through a series of events, God’s people paid her bills. She lives a full life, and found a fabulous full-time job with benefits.
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God Will Answer Your Prayers
Application:
When will you talk to the Lord about your concern? Your prayer request might not be about finances. Perhaps it is about a prodigal child, a broken relationships, or the loss of a job, home, or car.
The God, who loved the widow and used the prophet Elisha to take care of her prayer request, loves you, too. He also longs to hear from you and meet your needs.
You can go to God any time of the day or night. For all you know, he has someone ready to help you with your prayer request as soon as you ask.
Philippians 4:19: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer: God, I have all kinds of needs today. I pray right now for faith to pray a big prayer as the widow did. Help me believe that you will take care of me, my health, and my long-term care as you provided for the widow, her children, and the single-again woman with cancer. Amen.
Copyright © by Yvonne Ortega February 22, 2016 Updated January 3, 2018 Updated September 4, 2021
