In the fourth chapter of II Kings we are given the account of a widow about to lose her two sons to a creditor who would take them as bondmen to satisfy a debt she was unable to meet. She appealed to Elisha, who asked, "What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house?" She replied that she had nothing save a pot of oil. Thereupon he told her to borrow some empty vessels and to "borrow not a few." Her faith in the ability of Elisha to help her, coupled with her prompt obedience in seeking more vessels, enabled her to experience the blessing of a demonstration of Love's abundance.
When Elisha further instructed her to shut the door upon herself and her sons before pouring the oil into the pots, may it not indicate that she was to shut out of her consciousness the lie of limitation in order that she might receive of Love's ever-present supply? She would thus be truly prepared to participate in God's inexhaustible provision for His children. The prophet's understanding of the presence of God and His goodness operated as a law of abundance to the situation, and the oil continued to flow as long as there was a vessel to receive it. When the pots were filled, "the oil stayed." There was no overflow, no waste.
How true it is that a blessing unfolds and continues in proportion to the depth of one's faith and receptivity! When the prophet said to the widow, "Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest," was it not an assurance that because of her faith in God and her recognition of the prophet's status that both her present and coming needs would be met? In Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy assures her followers, and indeed all who will listen and accept the truth, that "divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need" (p. 494).
