by Linda Veath Cox
In the middle of a long drought, the Lord told the prophet Elijah to leave Israel and travel to the village of Zarephath in Sidon. Upon arrival in Zarephath, Elijah approached a widow gathering sticks, asking her for a drink of water as well as some bread to eat. She only had enough flour and oil for one last meal for her and her son. Yet Elijah said to her:
“Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.’”
She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. ~ 1 Kings 17:13-16 NIV
When Elijah asked her to make bread for him first, she was being given an opportunity to step out in faith and trust God to provide. An opportunity to share what she had, no matter how little it was. An opportunity not to worry about sharing her last supplies but to let go and let God.
The widow chose to exercise her God-given faith. And by her obedience, she experienced the promise of God to provide her daily needs. The jar of flour and the jug of oil did not run out. God didn’t give her a week’s or a month’s or a year’s supply. Just a daily supply. And it was enough.
I wonder how we would do in that situation. Would we share the little we have or just keep it for ourselves? If we have more than enough, would we worry that our supply, our “nest egg,” would dwindle too much if we shared? Would we recognize that God is our supplier? That He knows our needs? Would we be content if God chose to give us just what we need for today instead of a week’s or a month’s or a year’s supply?
Trust the Lord for your daily supply
and don’t worry about tomorrow …
With a new year approaching, it’s a good time to think about these things. To trust the Lord for our DAILY supply and not worry about tomorrow’s. To share what we have, whether much or little, with others. To watch what God can do when we trust it all to Him. For God’s supply never runs dry.
And that’s a promise we can take with us into this new year.