The Miracle Question: How Can I Help You?

I’ve always been drawn to miracle stories in the Bible. Moses parts the Red Sea. Jesus heals the blind. Lazarus walks out of the tomb. At a wedding in Cana, Jesus turns water into wine. These stories pull us in because they show us that God can make a way when it seems impossible. But sometimes, a miracle starts in a place we might not notice. It can begin with a small act of obedience, a simple instruction, an empty jar, or even a question.

In the books of Kings, we meet two well-known prophets: Elijah and Elisha. Elijah stood up to the evil king Ahab and called down fire from heaven. Elisha, his student, performed 32 miracles recorded in 2 Kings. These included healings, raising the dead, and prophecies. He had a lot going on.

One of these miracle stories is in 2 Kings 4. A widow comes to Elisha, desperate for help. Her husband, who was part of the prophets’ group, has died. She’s grieving, in debt, and now the creditor is coming to take her two sons as slaves. In those days, she had almost no protection or options. Her grief turned into fear, and her fear became a crisis.

Elisha answers her with a question: “How can I help you?” Then he asks, “Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

She says she has nothing except a small jar of olive oil. Elisha tells her to collect empty jars from her neighbors and not to ask for just a few. She and her sons go inside, close the door, and start pouring. The oil keeps flowing until every jar is full. She sells the oil, pays her debts, and has enough left for her family to live on.

It’s a great story. But have you noticed where the miracle really begins? There’s the oil and the jars, but the true miracle starts with a question: “How can I help you?” The widow comes to Elisha and shares her problem. In those days, there were no retirement plans or social security. Her husband, a prophet who served with Elijah and Elisha, had died. That loss was hard enough, but now she faced the difficult reality of being a widow. She was in debt, and often the only solution was for a person or their children to be sold as slaves.

She tells Elisha her problem, and before he gives his thoughts or opinions, he asks the miracle question: “How can I help you?” This is the miracle question.

The miracle begins with a question: “How can I help you?”

At least for me it is. When I am presented with a problem or a situation from my wife, kids, or a parishioner, it is asking or forgetting to ask this question that makes all the difference.

By not asking the question, I can offer a quick solution. Sometimes, it works; sometimes it doesn’t. If I don’t ask the question, I rarely can grasp the full scope of what is going on. I have not heard the whole story, or more importantly, I have not learned what the possibilities are.

When you ask the miracle question, it automatically puts you in a place of service. If you think about the people or situations that have been the most helpful, the most meaningful, the most miraculous, they probably began with this question.

Elisha does not only ask, “How can I help you?” He also asks, “What do you have in your house?” God often begins with what is already present, even when what is present seems small. A little oil. A few loaves and fish. A shepherd’s staff. A mustard seed. A widow’s mite. A willing heart.

Think about the best waitress you have ever had, the best advice you have been given, the most helpful people in your lives. Reflect on the teachers with the most insight, the coaches with the clearest sense of direction, the boss, colleague, or mentor that helped you go the farthest. They most likely asked you this question, and they probably asked it frequently.

Andy Stanley is one of my favorite preachers and teachers. He used this question in a recent message where he talked about the polarizing subject of submission. It is a concept that has been used and abused in our culture. A guy may not know anything about the Bible or the Christian idea of service, but somewhere he learned of the Bible verse that says, “Wives submit to your husbands.” That is a shoddy quotation of Ephesians 5:22, which reads: “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.” Taken out of context, the verse has done lots of damage, especially when we realize the verse right before it says something profound. Ephesians 5:21 says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

The question “How can I help you?” is one way to practice that life.

The Apostle Paul makes a blanket statement and then unfolds it for all parties. Everyone, especially husbands and wives, should be in a “submission competition.” Andy suggests that maybe “defer” is a better word to use given the history of misapplication. Even so, deference, submission, and service all begin with the miracle question, “How can I help you?”

When I speak with couples who are in trouble, I often hear the word “need.” They need a miracle, but then quickly one need turns into other needs. He needs to do this; she needs to do that. The problem is not something I need to do, but rather something someone else needs to do.

That is part of what makes Elisha’s question so powerful. He does not treat the widow as a project. He treats her as a person. He hears her need, asks what she has, and points her toward faithful action. Then God provides in a way that is more than enough.

That's a practice worth trying this week. When someone in your home seems overwhelmed, ask, “How can I help you?” When a friend is carrying a burden, ask, “How can I help you?” When someone at church feels discouraged, ask, “How can I help you?” When you are tempted to give the quick answer, pause long enough to ask the better question.

You may discover that the question itself becomes a doorway. It can open a conversation. It can lower defensiveness. It can reveal the real need. It can remind someone that they are not alone. In 2 Kings 4, the oil began to flow, the debts were paid, and a family’s future was restored. It was truly a miracle.

And it began with a question.

‍Photo by blackieshoot on Unsplash

Photo by Austin Kehmeier on Unsplash

Photo by Aamir Suhail on Unsplash

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash