How to Get Your Need Met

The story of Elisha and the Widow in 2 King 4:1-7 teaches us the principle and shows us the steps for getting our needs met.

The principle is very simple - Jesus is the answer and source. Seek Him first and then followed up with work of obedience and faith.

The steps are:

1. Understand Your Need.
Very often, we confuse the symptom with the cause. We often think God should change the situations for us rather than our own need to change. We pray for God to give us a better Boss but we actually need to improve in our skill and discipline. God has in fact arranged for a demanding Boss show that we can be better. In our case, the widow need is very clear - pay up the creditor or loose her sons. What could have caused this lack was not explained to us. The key theme seems to stress on God will answer your need despite the cause. But for long term solution, finding the cause and fixing it is key.

The rest of the steps are explained in the mind-map below:

The lessons to learn are:

1. Go to God first with any need or problem. God may ask you to talk to your mentors or friends.
2. Miracle comes with using something you have or could do first. This is the principle of sowing and reaping. Confessing is a form of doing too.
3. Advice must be followed with Action - No action no result.
4. While God is the Giver, you determine how much you get by your action of faith.
5. God always supply more than enough. The widow only asked to clear the debt but God provided the extra living needs. The oil could have stopped when there is sufficient to pay for debt. But it only stopped when there was no more vessels.