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"I have
commanded a widow in that place to supply you
with food." (1 Kings 17:9) |
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In a way, it must have
been hard for Elijah to say goodbye to the familiar wadi
of Cherith. It hurts when we have to leave places which
have meant a lot to us, and where we have met the Lord –
but when the Lord shows us that the time has come to
move on, we must never hold back. We are a pilgrim
people. Nevertheless, we can imagine all sorts of
conflicting thoughts racing through Elijah’s mind as he
trudged across the wilderness. ‘A widow woman. How on
earth will I recognise her? How can she provide for me?’
Tired and thirsty, it would have been understandable if
he had allowed his mind to daydream as he drew near to
Zarephath. Perhaps God had some well-to-do widow living
in a palatial inheritance waiting to take care of him!
The reality was far different. As he reached the
entrance to the town he met a widow in the last throes
of starvation, forlornly preparing what she fully
expected to be her last meal on earth.
We can easily picture this scene. I saw a strikingly
similar episode recently on television. An aged Albanian
widow had gathered a few pathetic twigs together in a
last desperate attempt to keep warm. She too had no food
left to eat, and was gathering together the little she
had before settling down to die. That is the reality of
famine, now as then.
Few issues test our relationship with God more sharply
than material hardships. By making His servant dependent
for his lodging on a widow, the Lord was insisting once
again that Elijah did not look to any earthly source to
meet his needs. I sometimes think that the Lord
specialises in providing for us through means we would
not have chosen for ourselves.
Let’s face it. Many of us only really begin to realise
how wonderfully the Lord has provided for us when He
appears to withhold His supplies of blessing. Human
nature being what it is, we take miracles that are
endlessly repeated for granted. It was not long before
the Israelites forgot the heavenly origin of their daily
manna, and started to complain that their diet was
monotonous. |
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When something that means a great deal to us is taken
away, there are strong temptations to think resentful
thoughts towards God. We may even begin to wonder if
what we had formerly considered to have been the Lord’s
miraculous provision was not, in reality, merely
something we had contrived by our own efforts.
What happens to us may not be according to our wishes,
but that is not to say that it is contrary to His will.
The Lord’s deliverance comes neither too quickly nor too
late. His timing is as exquisite as the means of
accomplishing His purposes are unforeseeable. His
provision, if not always abundant, will at least always
be sufficient. Moreover, it comes from one day to the
next, as and when it is needed. We cannot receive grace
today to meet tomorrow’s needs.
| Buoyed up by the recollection of how God had sent him
‘meals on ravens’ for as long as he had needed them, and
heartened that the Lord had fulfilled the first part of
His word by leading him to a widow, Elijah’s faith rose
to the challenge. He trusted that the Lord must be able
to provide for them both. After all, God promises to
make a way forward in every test and difficulty that we
face.(1) |
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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.’"(2) |
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What courage it takes to
speak with faith and authority in the face of such a
desperate situation! Had the Lord not confirmed the word
Elijah had spoken so boldly, this would have been their
first and last meal together on earth.
Before God performed a miracle of provision, however, He
first accomplished a near miracle in human
relationships. Just as Elijah had obeyed an improbable
word in coming to Zarephath, so the Lord now turned the
heart of this woman to obey His servant. Like the widow
who put her all into the Temple Treasury, here was a
woman who was willing to share all she had to live on
with a complete stranger. She too would have her reward.
Because she did as Elijah had told her, there was food
every day for Elijah, and for the woman and her family
too. ‘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.’(2)
The Generosity of God
In these days, when financial pressures are
assailing so many, it is good to ponder the implications
of this miracle. Though we cannot always see how it is
possible, God will continue to take care of all our
needs, material as well as spiritual. All the Accuser’s
‘prophecies’ of impending doom will be shown to be
ill-founded as we meet both need and challenge with
faith in the Living God, as Elijah did.
How generous the Lord is to those whose hearts are
generous!(3) When the angel appeared to Cornelius, his
first words to him revealed that his almsgiving, as well
as his prayers, had ascended as a memorial before
God.(4) Nothing we do passes unseen in the courts of
Heaven. He takes note not only of what we give, but also
of the spirit in which we give it.
The Lord of Hosts provides for His people! A modern day
‘jug of oil’ story comes from God’s miraculous provision
during the horrors of the Second World War. Imprisoned
for protecting Jews, Corrie Ten Boom relates how a
bottle of essential vitamins renewed itself for weeks of
end, for the benefit of the inmates of Ravensbruck
concentration camp.
Corrie herself was continually amazed at the kindness
and hospitality she received after her miraculous
release from Ravensbruck. She asked the Lord one day why
people were always so kind to her. He replied that it
was because her mother had kept an open kitchen during
the years of the Depression. Corrie ‘inherited’ the
blessings her mother had sown. |
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As Matthew Henry so aptly put it, ‘He who ordains the
voyage, victuals the ship accordingly.’ The miracle of
the flour and the oil that were continually renewed,
like the loaves and the fishes, is a reminder that God
takes the little we offer Him, and gives it power to
expand beyond what is humanly possible. Once we have
taken all the steps we can in a situation, it is our
Lord’s joy, as well as His responsibility, to provide
for His people.(5)
A Heart to Give
The love of God is nothing if not practical. As we
have been provided for, so we can seek to provide for
others. Blessing comes ultimately, not to those who
hoard, but to those who are willing to give of what they
have received – their time and talents as well as their
material wealth.(6)
As the days get darker, it will be increasingly
important for Christians to be on the alert to look
after one another.(7) Some may be too proud, and some
too shy, to ask for help, but we must stay alert to
people’s needs and take appropriate action.
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Given the sheer
number of needs we encounter, we will benefit by
treating the subject of our giving both
prayerfully and imaginatively. I was much
impressed by the example of David Wilkerson, who
used to pray with his wife at the start of each
month as to where the Lord would have them send
money from a special ‘burden’ fund they set up
in addition to their regular giving. |
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How true Jesus’ words
are, that where our treasure is, there too our heart
will be. Like the Macedonian churches, we must give to
the point where we are giving of the substance as well
as the overflow of our lives. If our giving is costing
us something, we will be far less likely to develop a
superior or a condescending attitude.
The Elijah heart stands at complete variance with the
modern tendency to want to have it all. Donald Olsen
summed up the absurdity of this spirit thus: ‘Mr
average North American is the instalment buyer who is
busy buying things he does not want, with money he does
not have, to impress people he does not like!’
Remembering Jesus’ warning that we cannot serve both God
and Mammon, it is good to remind ourselves that it is
better to love people and to use things, than to love
things and to use people.
Whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Let
us be eager, therefore, to provide for ourselves
treasure in heaven. This does not mean that we are never
to indulge ourselves in the occasional treat; it is
simply an invitation to godly and responsible
stewardship in our whole approach to handling worldly
wealth.
For myself, I would rather support causes which
non-Christians would not readily subscribe to: labourers
in the vineyard, rather than the fabric of old
buildings. To do this effectively, we should strive to
live somewhat below the level of our income, so that the
Lord can use the surplus to support others. Life being
what it is, this may well prove impossible, but it is,
at least, a worthy aim. After all, is it fair to pray
for Christian work to be supported, if we ourselves are
not prepared to do much about it? |
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Reflections
The God of Elijah is still at work to this day
to provide for the needs of His people. Look back and
recall some of the ways in which God has provided for
you over the years. Record occasions when you have been
as fearfully unbelieving as the Israelites, only to be
surprised by joy as the Lord has opened up some new (and
usually unexpected) means of provision at just the right
time.
| Dare to thank and praise the Lord that He will continue
to supply your daily bread, along with everything else
that you truly need. Then ask Him to show you if there
is anything you are spending money on that is not in
line with His wishes. Ask Him, too, whether there is any
person, cause or organisation that He would have you
give to, or contribute more to. |
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Over and above
all this that I have provided, I have given
silver and gold from my personal property
because of my love for God’s Temple. Now who
else is willing to give a generous offering to
the Lord?(8) |
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Selah |
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Thank You, Lord,
for the way You draw people to share in Your
work of provision. You saw the spirit in which
the widow shared her livelihood with Elijah,
just as You watched another widow put her all
into the Temple Treasury. Thank You that the
gifts and resources of Your people can help Your
Kingdom to spread. I ask that I may play my part
in this holy work. May the motivation of my
heart, and the gift of my hand alike be pleasing
in Your sight. In Jesus’ name, Amen. |
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References
1 1 Corinthians 10:13
2 1 Kings 17:13-16, cf Isaiah 46:3-4
3 Proverbs 22:9
4 Acts 10:4
5 Some biblical references to God providing for His
people in time of famine include: Deuteronomy 2:7, 1
Kings 17:6, 16; 2 Kings 3:20, 4:6;7:8; Matthew 14:20.
The following texts will help us to enter more fully
into this subject of seeing God as our Provider: 2
Corinthians 9:6-15, Psalm 65:9, 104:27-29, 132:15f;
Isaiah 55:10; Romans 8:32; Psalm 84:11
6 Matthew Henry wrote, ‘When we can cheerfully
provide for others, out of our own necessary provision,
as the widow of Zarephath did for Elijah, and Christ for
His five thousand guests, and trust God to provide for
us by some other way, this is thank-worthy.’ (cf 2
Corinthians 8)
7 Cf Leviticus 25:35: ‘If one of your countrymen becomes
poor and is unable to support himself among you, help
him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so
that he can continue to live among you.’
8 1 Chronicles 29:3,5,9,12-14, see also Psalm 128:2;
Luke 12:33; Matthew 6:24; Job 31:24-28; Nehemiah 9:20-21
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