Giving Your 'Nearly 'Nothing'预览

Make Me Food First

Yesterday we left our widow in the situation of having to decide if she was willing to use her ‘nearly nothing’ to provide a meal for a stranger instead of for her and her son as their last meal. Let’s see what happens next.

1 Kings 17:13-16 NKJV
13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ”

15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.

The first thing Elijah says to her plight, are words of encouragement – do not fear. That in itself is beautiful. He then goes on to tell her to make the food for him FIRST and then to make some for her and her son. But before she has time to think that it just isn’t possible, he continues to tell her that the flour and oil will not run out until God would send rain. She has a conclusion to her problem before she even takes action.

At this point, I wondered if we would have been so faithful to trust what Elijah said that God had promised He would do. It sounds kind of crazy. ‘’Didn’t you just hear what I said, Elijah? I am making the last meal for me and my son before we die and you want me to make you food first AND you say that the oil and flour won’t run out! What happens if I do what you say and there is only enough for you?’’

But for some reason, she trusts Elijah AND God and springs into action. This is a huge leap of faith as what if her ‘nearly nothing’ gets used for Elijah and they have nothing left for themselves?

However, we know that if God has promised something, we can be sure that He is faithful to provide. Just as it says, according to the word of the Lord, the flour was not used up and the oil did not run dry and they ate for many days.

This widow and her son’s lives were not only saved physically but also spiritually, all because she was willing to share her ‘nearly nothing’.

Today, have you considered all the things God has promised for your life and are you actually willing to take action even if it seems risky?