Provision and Blessing

-


Read 1 Kings 17

God instructs Elijah to go to Zarephath where he will find a widow who will provide for him.
Elijah again obeys, but when he arrives and asks for provisions, he finds out she has nothing to give. One jar of flour, nearly empty. Just a drop of oil in the jug. Her plan? To bake one last loaf and prepare to die of starvation.
 One with less faith than Elijah may have rolled his eyes and moved on, questioning God all the while. This is your provision? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to send me to someone rich who had plenty of extra?
But that is not Elijah’s response. Trusting in God’s plan, he offered reassurance and comfort to the widow. He instructed her to go ahead and be hospitable and generous, and that this selfless action would provide for her and her son as well. (17:13-14)
Both were obedient to God’s plan. Both helped each other. In their actions, both stopped focusing on their own needs and focused on the other. In the process, both had needs met through God’s miraculous intervention. In fact, by sharing her last food with a stranger, the widow actually saved her son’s life. Not only were they saved from starvation, but when the son became severely ill, Elijah prayed for God’s healing and restored his life.

There is always blessing in ministering to others, even in the midst of our own need or pain.

What small step could you take to reach out to someone else at this time?
Ask God to show you the person He wants you to serve. Ask for God’s strength help you do it even if you are feeling stretched and in need yourself.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Committed to Prayer

-
Image
Read Daniel 10 to get the full story, but today we will focus on just the first few verses. As you read, take note of how Daniel prepared himself to hear from God, and also notice the important messages given to him when the information was revealed. The book of Daniel is packed full of wonderful accounts of God’s power manifest in Daniel’s life – the fiery furnace, the lion’s den, the handwriting on the wall. There’s plenty there to study and learn. This time I want to focus on a lesser known account in chapter 10, which gives us a glimpse into the spiritual realm. The first thing I noticed is how committed Daniel is to his prayer. In verses 2 and 3 we read about his sacrificial approach and focus on seeking God.   He describes himself as “mourning.” The definition of the original word here indicates lamenting, or walking with head downcast.  When we find ourselves in this condition, we need to follow Daniel’s example and go directly to seeking God. And his isn’t a quick pr
Read more

Meager Bread and Water

-
Image
  Read Isaiah 30:20-22 What truth is contained in these verses!! When we seek the Lord during hard times, things will become clearer and powerful things happen. Let's look at the three basic lessons that have become clear to me as I've studied this passage. First, God provides what we need – “meager bread and water.” Although we may be learning to do without some things, we still have a God who will meet our needs and help us become aware of our greediness for more than that. He has promised that when we first seek Him, He will provide for the daily stuff we tend to worry about (Matthew 6:33). Second, our Teacher will not be hidden and He will not be silent. Adversity helps us to grow and to learn about what God wants from us. As we stumble through the chaos, we will begin to see God in the midst of it, and God’s voice will become clearer.   He will lead us in His ways. Finally, when we are struggling, our lives get sifted. As the shaking continues, we begin to recogniz
Read more

Waiting Stinks

-
Image
Read John 11:1-4 (We'll go farther in the story next time) Jesus’ friend Lazarus was sick. Very sick. His sisters sent for Jesus, the compassionate miracle-worker. When Jesus didn’t come right away, Martha and Mary suffered. They expected Jesus, the Healer who loved them, to come and save Lazarus. When Lazarus died instead, they were left with their own thoughts and questions. I can imagine that they wavered in their faith, sometimes thinking, “Jesus has so many people to help, of course He couldn’t just come when we asked,” and sometimes “But He’s our friend. Aren’t we important enough to Him that He would come and help?” They maybe even wondered why Jesus didn’t say the word from afar and save Lazarus’ life. He’d done it for others. Why not for them?
Read more