We have a tendency to focus on what we don’t have.

Not enough resources. Not enough ability. Not enough influence. Not enough faith. We look at the size of the need, then at the smallness of what we have, and quickly conclude that there simply isn’t enough.

But God often begins with a different question:

What do you have?

In 2 Kings 4, a widow came to Elisha in desperation. Her husband had died, creditors were coming, and her two sons were in danger of being taken away. Her situation was overwhelming, and her resources were almost nonexistent.

Elisha asked her:

“Tell me, what do you have in the house?” — 2 Kings 4:2, NKJV

Her answer is revealing:

“Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” — 2 Kings 4:2, NKJV

Nothing but a jar of oil.

It would have been easy for her to stop at the word nothing. Her need was enormous, and what she possessed seemed insignificant by comparison.

But that little jar of oil was enough for God to begin.

Elisha instructed her to borrow empty vessels from her neighbors, go into her house, shut the door, and begin pouring. As long as there was an empty vessel, the oil continued to flow. What had seemed hopelessly inadequate became more than enough to meet her need.

God did not ask her to have enough. He asked her to place what she had at His disposal.

That pattern appears throughout Scripture. God asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” It was only a rod, but surrendered to God, it became an instrument of deliverance. When thousands needed to be fed, a boy offered five loaves and two fish. It wasn’t enough to feed the crowd, but it was enough to place in the hands of Jesus.

Sometimes we become so preoccupied with what is missing that we overlook what God has already placed within our reach.

A small ability. A limited resource. A simple opportunity. A willing heart. A little faith.

None of these may appear sufficient for what lies before us. And perhaps they aren’t.

But God is not limited by the insufficiency of what we bring Him.

Faith does not require us to pretend that a little is a lot. The widow really did have very little. The disciples really did have too little food for the multitude. Faith does not deny present reality. It simply acknowledges that present reality is not the limit of what God can do.

The question is not always, Do I have enough?

Perhaps the better question is, What do I have that I can place in God’s hands?

Don’t dismiss the small possibility.

Don’t discount the seemingly insignificant thing.

Don’t allow what you lack to keep you from offering what you have.

What seems inadequate in our hands can become more than enough when surrendered to God.