The Oil That Lasts Through the Night

Last Saturday evening, Pastor Ed at CBC San Antonio preached on oil - how the five wise virgins kept their lamps ready while the five foolish ones ran dry. He took us to Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25:1–5 (NASB):

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’”

The story stuck with me. Then this morning, after my morning walk, I spent some time in scripture, and I read Exodus 27:20–21 (NASB):

“Command the sons of Israel that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually. In the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the Lord; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout their generations for the sons of Israel.”

And suddenly Jesus’ words felt like a direct echo: the oil isn’t optional. There it was! Pure, pressed olive oil, burning steady from evening to morning. Not just any light, but one that stays lit. And suddenly Jesus’ parable feels like an echo: we’re meant to carry that same kind of light through those seasons of darkness. It’s what keeps us lit when the bridegroom delays, when life drags on in what feels like a season of darkness.

We all go through different seasons; it's just a part of life. Trials that stretch, despair that whispers louder than hope, I’ve felt it. But here’s what hit me: the oil isn’t magic. It’s a choice. Do I allow this season to become permanent? Or do I press in, allowing the pressure to produce something pure (like those beaten olives), through the Holy Spirit and God’s promises.

Scripture says, “take every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5). So when darkness creeps: grab His Word, breathe prayer, and swap those negative feelings with gratitude. Because what’s inside leaks out, good or bad, and the enemy loves to claim, “Another one down.”

We must choose not to fade. Like Aaron at the lampstand, like the wise virgins, we keep ours burning! One prayer, one verse, one day at a time. Letting the pressure that produces the pure oil keep a steady flame, all the days of our lives.