Day 26 - A mother’s love and strength

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi81H1FTlOg

Today we celebrate Mothering Sunday, the day each year when people returned to the church they grew up in and were baptised in to worship. These days it has turned into a day people refer to as Mother’s Day, when people honour their mothers as a time for celebration and the giving of gifts. It is a day when our thoughts turn to our own childhood, and our own mothers and give thanks and celebrate them. It’s a time when mothers and grandmothers hopefully receive attention from their children and grandchildren, and often today it’s original meaning has been lost.

Motherhood is a common thread throughout the bible – The widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17:8-24; The story of Naomi and Ruth in the Book of Ruth; and the judgement of Solomon in 1 Kings 3;16-28 to name a few, motherhood being viewed as a blessing throughout the ages, and is even listed as one of the Ten Commandments.

“Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving to you”. Exodus 20:12

But today I am going to focus on the story of Elisha and the Widow’s Oil in 2 Kings. The woman is a widow, but we are not given her name. We know that she was the wife of a member of the company of prophets, which were also known as ‘The sons of the prophets’, who were groups of men who were apprentices studying under senior prophets such as Elijah, Elisha and Samuel. These groups lived and studied together forming communities where they could learn and grow spiritually.

Therefore, as the widow of a member of such a community she would have had some knowledge of prophecy and Gods power, but when her husband died, she would have lost the family income and her husbands protection. She was left to provide for their two sons with no means of providing for them, and she fell into debt, facing the fear of the creditor taking her sons in payment for the debt.

Most mothers faced with what appears to be an impossible situation will do anything to protect their children. She felt she had run out of options, and she turned to Elisha in desperation and Elisha responded.

Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil” - 2 Kings 4:2.

Elisha shrewdly responded by asking the widow to identify what she had access to, including her in finding the solution to her problems. Her sons were reliant on her to provide and keep them safe. Simple oil became the solution.

Elisha recognised that if the widow was to improve the family situation she had to understand and be prepared to act to improve her situation. Life doesn’t provide magic wands!

The widow for her part had enough knowledge of God and trusted him in providing for them, and she knew that her access to God was via Elisha. She was willing to do whatever she needed to do and she put her pride to one side to save her sons from slavery. What a wonderful story of a mother’s love and her belief and trust in God’s strength and ability and willingness to help her and her sons, and God did not disappoint.

What a wonderful legacy we have inherited – the knowledge that we are never alone, no matter how difficult life might get and that God is there to help us. So, on this special day, rejoice in this, as well as the knowledge that God loves us.

Kathy Shaw