Devotional 807

Then the Lord said to Elijah, (9) “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.” (10) So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” (11) As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.” (12) But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.” (13) But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. (14) For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” (15) So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. (16) There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.  ~I Kings 17:8-16 

Elijah was a prophet for the Lord.  He knew the Lord, he believed in His power, and he shared God's message with others.  And as for his plans-for-the-day, Elijah didn't go where the wind blew him (or culture/popularity/trends).  Elijah went where God told him.  

Let's be like Elijah today.

That's easy to say and admirable to purpose...but it's hard to live out those things--at least for me.  I'd prefer more of a Bingo-card approach, where we could "mark off" the squares that we are able to "check" today: 4 Corners or straight across, and please give me the Free Spot, Lord--I need it.

Well, Jesus did give us the Free Spot, by hanging on the cross in our place, but we have to fill in the spaces of faith in our day to day lives.  Luckily, the Bible gives us strong examples to follow.   

Elijah did what God told him to do.  

Keep it simple today.  Let's do what God tells us to.

But in these scriptures, the Lord also shows us a woman at the end of her rope.  

Anyone there today?  

The provision has run out.  The faith has funneled dry.  The "hope of tomorrow" has become a cliché because we have trudged through a lot of tomorrows.

God sees you.  He saw the widow and her son.  He saw her calm desperation.  This woman had decided that it was over for them.

But God had not.

God saw her situation, just as he sees ours, and He sent provision, first in a man (Elijah), and then in daily (miraculous) flour and oil to sustain the woman and child.  

Unexplainable.  Unmerited.  That's the love and provision of our Lord.

And if the scenario sounds familiar--God did the same thing with the Israelites for forty years as they wandered in the wilderness.  They were seeking to follow Him, and although they often messed up (just like us!), God loved and provided for them anyway.

For the LORD your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing.  ~Deuteronomy 2:7

And guess what?  If the lack-of-hope and lack-of-provision scenario sounds familiar in your heart today--God has done the same thing for us.   He sent provision, first in a man (Jesus Christ!), and then in daily (miraculous) manna/bread-of-life (The Bible) to sustain us.     

But Jesus told him...‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”  ~Matthew 4:4

Reading God's Word daily is miraculous provision for our souls.  He speaks to us through the Bible.  he meets us through the Bible.  He provides for us through the Bible.  

Elijah asked the widow to serve him first (make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. ~I Kings 17:13).

Serve God first today.  He miraculously works out the details if we start there.  


Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com 

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