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Many or all of us have experienced a time in our lives where we felt suffocated by the world. Those times where you feel powerless and have no more energy left to keep going on. It could be because one bad thing after another has been happening to you. Maybe you feel like you are losing more than you are gaining. Just when you feel like it cannot get worse, something more terrible happens and leaves you feeling empty, desperate and with no more care or effort to give. There are various scriptures in the bible that demonstrate this experience and how different people made it out of that empty space. Unfortunately, the reality is that many of us get stuck there, while others give up and end their lives. I hope today’s blog encourages anyone that is currently in this empty space. This Sunday, I listened to a sermon titled “Running on Empty” preached by Holly Furtick: It’s in 2 Kings 4: 1-6, “The Widow’s Oil”. As I reflected on this scripture, I remembered that I had previously listened to two sermons exploring this woman’s experience. So I decided to pull out my archives, listen to these sermons (again) and find out what these three anointed people had to say about these tough seasons such as the one this woman was experiencing. The two sermons are from Steven Furtick, “Frozen Oil and Chosen Vessels” and Bishop T.D. Jakes, “Come Empty.”

This woman had lost her husband, she was in debt and was at the verge of losing her sons to her late husband’s creditors. She was desperate for a miracle. In this state of frustration and confusion, she went to cry to the man of God Elisha and reminded him that her husband was a good and holy man of God. Elisha asks her what she wanted him to do and what she had at home. SHE ONLY HAD A LITTLE OIL. To add insult to injury, Elisha asks this poor woman to go borrow vessels from her neighbors, go back home, shut the door and pour this little oil into the borrowed vessels. Crazy right! Anyways, long story short, she obeyed the man of God and received her miracle. All the three sermons that I chose today relay a message that God prefers us in a situation where we are dependent on him alone and that although we may be blinded by our pain in these seasons, God has already provided. All we have to do is have his perspective to be able to see a way out of our darkness. To do this we need him. According to Holly, these draining seasons which make us feel empty will make us feel alone, like no body (even God) cares about us. Similarly, Pastor Steven believes that this is the enemy’s plan, to make you focus on all the things that are wrong with you (feeling less than or insecure) and blind you from the truth, which is, God is always with you and that He has equipped you for every season. Bishop Jakes and Holly tell us that its this void that allows God to intervene in our lives and that although we may be feeling empty, we need to remember that God values empty vessels.

With reference to the scripture of the widow, Holly explores four practical things we can do when we feel like we have lost all hope. We need to cry our to God, reach out to others, pour out and live on what’s left. I found that each of these things had been explored (in one way or another) by pastor Steven and Bishop Jakes as well. I know that it is important to remember to stop pretending that we can control the tough situations on our own. However, if I am being honest, sometimes, it takes me some time before I can think of praying to God in a frustrating situation. I often find myself trying to fix it on my own which always leads me in a much worse state of mind. I start to blame myself and others, then the problem becomes my focus and for a moment there I forget that there is someone above it, God. I am finding that a simple gospel song, recalling of a scripture memorized and prayer can really make a huge difference in my life during these times. I now have a song for almost all situations that I go through. These songs act as a reminder that there is some one above me who is planning every little step and that he is with me. Just like this woman had “a little oil,” I find that these things, which seem insignificant to me, bring about change in my tough situations. Moreover, I find that in many cases, the tough seasons I go through expose some things about me that I need to change. Holly says that the process of crying to God may mean that God wants to change something about us, to be able to fix our situation. Using her experience she says, “when I change me, I change us.” She also adds, “you are always apart of your solution.” Here are some things that I have noticed God point out in my life during a very tough season; my impatience, my attitude, my character, among others. I found that in a messy situation, fixing these things can make things better for me and the people in my life. In congruence, Bishop Jakes asserts that we need to rid ourselves of silly things which are filling us so that we can create space for God to come and fill our cups.

Furthermore, we need to be careful who we reach out to. Imagine if this window had run to her neighbors first. The whole community was probably already gossiping about her situation. Because many of us run to social media to announce our struggles, Holly tells us, “comments do not replace conversations.” Therefore, just like Elisha told the widow to enter her house and shut her door, we need to opt for a private conversation between us and the people who really care about us. In addition, all three preachers agree that despite how empty we may feel in our darkest times, we need to pour into other empty vessels in order to be able to receive our miracle. To put this into context, pouring into others may mean, to give things such as love, kindness, patience, grace, friendship, joy to others through acts of service such as supporting others even when you are going through the worst, giving words of wisdom, using your gift to make others happy, etc. These right here are your “little oil”, you may take them for granted but pouring them out will bring miracles into our life. Pastor Steven says that even if they don’t appreciate you, do it anyway, because God sees what you do in private and he alone will reward you. He also acknowledges, “it’s frustrating when you have to pour into someone else when you really wish someone would pour into you, yet the more you pour, the more it flows.” Similarly, Bishop Jakes says, “you don’t know what you’ve got until you pour it out, it’s when you pour that you multiply.” It takes faith to trust that the little (e.g. joy, love, etc.) you have left can multiply into endless blessings.

The widow’s story ends with a happy ending. She has more than enough to live off because she had the faith to pour. Therefore, as a mother, teacher, doctor, leader, sister, brother, etc. you may be in a season where all you do is give and are wondering when God will bring your miracle. I am here to encourage you. Do not give up, keep on pouring. I decided that even in my darkest times, I have to find something to give. When I am frustrated, I will remind myself to smile, compliment others, offer my help to others, love on those who no one wants to love, listen to those who have no one to listen to them, be kind to those who have not been shown kindness, forgive those who think they have done the worst, remember those who have been forgotten, have faith and encourage those who have given up on themselves. Even when I don’t feel like it, I will challenge myself to do these things. I have already noticed that doing some of these things has brought me so much joy over the years, joy I cannot explain especially when I am in that empty space. I am grateful to God.

Therefore my dear brothers and sisters, despite all that we are going through in this tough global situation, let us challenge ourselves to keep pouring out into others for Christ’s sake only. I promise you that you will find joy in the little things you do. Whatever you are going through, remember that you are not empty, there is something that you are over looking that is the weapon God has given you. Use it to claim your miracle from God.

I hope that you learn to appreciate the little things that God has given you to make this world a better place.

With love and prayers,

Resty Kansiime

Here are the sermons that I used today.

Come Empty – Bishop T.D. Jakes – YouTube

Running On Empty | Holly Furtick | Elevation Church – YouTube

Frozen Oil and Chosen Vessels | Pastor Steven Furtick – YouTube