Share:

In God We Trust

April 18, 2012 - 5:00 am

“Elijah said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf 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 sends rain on the land’.”— 1 Kings 17:13–14

Tough times are nothing new. Since the beginning of recorded history, there have been times of plenty and times of famine. During one such famine in the land of Israel the prophet Elijah encounters a widow with just about nothing left. And he gives her advice that we can all benefit from in our times of need.

When Elijah meets the widow he asks her for some water and bread. She explains that she doesn’t have any. She has only a handful of flour and a little olive oil — enough to make one last meal for her and her son. After that, she expects that they will both perish.

In response, Elijah tells her:  “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said.” In other words, there is no sense in worrying. Go on with your life and do what you need to do. Then Elijah gives her another set of instructions:  But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.”

In other words, share what you have with others. It’s natural to want to hold on to all that you have when your supply seems to be slipping away. Yet Elijah reminds us that there are always those with less, and it’s important to share “from what you have.” Everyone can give something.

Then comes the kicker:  “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 sends rain on the land’.” Finally Elijah announces the miracle that this woman’s oil and flour would never run out. With God by your side, anything is possible. We don’t always understand how, but somehow we are able to go on even in our most challenging times.

What a great message for difficult times — Don’t worry, share, and have faith.

Now here’s the thing. God didn’t deliver twenty jars of flour to the widow the next morning. She didn’t open her pantry and find twenty jugs full of oil either. The widow would not be able to see where her sustenance was going to come from. Instead, she would have to learn to trust in God for His provision.

In difficult times, we all would like to look into our bank accounts and know that we will be OK because we can clearly see that we have enough to last for a very long time. However, no matter how much you have in the bank today, at some point it has an end.

But there is no end to what God can do for us. So take heart and don’t ever give up. In God we trust!





     

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *