In Your Desperate Moment, Offer the Little You Have and Watch God Multiply

Miracle of fish and bread by Giovanni Lanfranco, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 2014, I moved to a new city to start a startup. I had strong faith in the idea, had a small team, and both I and a close friend invested our life savings. For a year and a half, I did everything I could—building, selling, pitching—but nothing worked. I burned out. I finally quit the company.

But here’s the thing: both my wife and I had prayed before coming into the city. We believed God had led us to this city. So even when the company failed, we didn’t feel released to leave. We chose to stay. But that decision came with hardship. I had no job. No income. My two sons were little—five and three years old—and I had to borrow money from my father just to get through each month.

We found ourselves attending a church that mostly served slum dwellers. All the churches in the city came together to host an evangelical event, and my pastor asked me to drive the speaker around for the four-day event. I said yes.

For four days, from early morning to late night, I drove the guest speaker all around the city. I didn’t have much to give—just a car and my time. I gave the little I had.

On the last day, I invited the speaker to our house for lunch. He prayed over me and said, “Lord, let this brother always be busy. Open doors for him.” That was in August. Later in November, a small job came along. It wasn’t enough to pay my rent, but it was something. That job led to another, and another. Slowly, our life stabilized. In time, not only did I flourish professionally, but my ministry also took off—preaching in churches, leading prayer cells, encouraging others to share Bible meditations. What felt like a dead end became the beginning of something much greater.

All I gave was what I had. And God multiplied it.

This is not just my story. It is a biblical pattern. Again and again in Scripture, we see this: God doesn’t ask for what we don’t have. He starts with what’s in our hands.

# 1. Jesus and the Boy’s Lunch (John 6:1–13)

There were over 5,000 men—plus women and children—gathered to hear Jesus. After a long day of teaching, the crowd was hungry. Jesus told His disciples, “You give them something to eat.” Philip protested, “Even a year’s wages wouldn't buy enough food!” It seemed impossible. They were in a deserted place, with no resources.

But Jesus asked, “What do you have?”

That’s when they found a small boy with five loaves and two fish. He could have kept it to himself. It was his meal, his sustenance. But he gave it up. And that small offering, in the hands of Jesus, fed thousands—with twelve baskets left over.

God is not a magician. He is a miracle worker. That means He expects something to work with. And often, that something seems insignificant: a boy’s lunch, a shepherd’s sling, a widow’s jar. But when we recognize it, surrender it, and place it in God’s hands, it becomes more than enough.

There was also order in the miracle. Jesus had people sit in groups. He involved the disciples in distribution. God’s work is not chaotic. When we bring Him what we have and submit to His way, multiplication follows. Not just for our own satisfaction—but for the blessing of many.

# 2. Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8–16)

During a severe famine, God sent Elijah to a widow in Zarephath. One might expect comfort, hospitality, a hot meal. But instead, Elijah meets a woman gathering sticks to cook her last meal. She says, “I’m preparing a meal for myself and my son so we may eat it—and die.”

It sounds cruel when Elijah says, “Feed me first.” He offers no instant miracle. No comfort. Just a hard request.

But she obeys.

And in that obedience, the miracle begins. The flour never ran out. The oil never dried up. It was not excess. She didn’t become rich. But her needs were met—hers, her son’s, and Elijah’s. Every day. Until the famine ended.

This is God’s economy. He asks for the little we have. He doesn’t promise luxury. He promises sufficiency. And when we give even from our lack, He provides. He multiplies.

# 3. Elisha and the Widow’s Oil (2 Kings 4:1–7)

Another widow. Another debt. This time, the creditors are coming to take her sons as slaves. She’s desperate. Her husband, a prophet, has died. There is nothing left.

When she goes to Elisha, he asks, “What do you have?”

She says, “Nothing… except a little oil.”

That little oil becomes her breakthrough. Elisha tells her to borrow jars. As many as she can. And behind closed doors, she begins to pour. The oil doesn’t stop until every jar is filled.

She sells it. Pays her debt. Lives on the rest.

This is what God does. He doesn’t always prevent hardship. But He provides within it. When we go to Him in our lack, He reveals what we do have—even if we think it’s “nothing.” And when we offer it in faith, He multiplies it until the need is met.

# What Do You Have in Your Hand?

In each of these stories—and in my own—there is a common question:

“What do you have?”

Not what do you wish you had. Not what do others have. But what has God already placed in your hands?

• A lunchbox.
• A little oil.
• A car and some time.

God is not unfair. He will not put us in a situation where there is absolutely nothing we can bring to Him. Sometimes what we have is small, hidden, or easy to overlook. But Scripture says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life.” (2 Peter 1:3)

So if you’re facing lack or hardship, don’t despair. Look inward. Look around. Ask the Lord to show you what He’s already given. And when you find it—bring it to Him.

He will bless it.
He will multiply it.
He will use it to meet your need—and bless others through you.

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