Highlighting- “15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 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.” (v. 15 – 16, NIV)
In the preceding verses, Elijah is told by God to go to Zarephath where he will meet a widow who will supply him with food. He encounters the widow at the gate as she is gathering sticks and asks her to bring him some water to drink as well as a piece of bread. She responds that she doesn’t have bread, but she is gathering sticks to make a meal for her and her son with the little flour and oil that she has left, so that they may eat and die. Elijah encourages her with a word from the Lord, to not be afraid, to go make the meal as she has said, but before she makes food for her and her son, make a loaf of bread for him (Elijah). This is the promise God made to her through His messenger, Elijah (v. 14), “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.’” She did exactly as Elijah said and God kept His promise. What was once one jar of flour and a jug of oil, that should have run out, never did (until God brought the rain on the land).
There is much blessing in obeying the word of God. Whether by means of receiving His word directly from Him, a prompting in your spirit, applying the principles in the Bible to your life or from a prophet that He has sent to you. Human logic says this directive doesn’t make sense, but God will defy the law of physics to bring about your miracle, your breakthrough. She only had enough to make a meal for her and her son, but God said, give to my prophet first then your cup will run over – and it did. In meditating on this passage, it’s not just about her giving to Elijah, but her heart posture in her giving. She gave in faith that God’s word was true – she believed. What is God telling you to do today that your logic or pride is keeping you from doing? God defies the law of physics to accomplish His plans and answer prayers. Don’t allow your human logic to keep you from receiving your blessing.
Dear Father, Your thoughts are higher than our thoughts and Your ways are higher than our ways. Thank You for doing exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever ask or think. Sometimes, like the widow, we think life is over, but You always have a plan to prosper us. Help me to trust and put my full confidence in You in whatever I’m going through. Most importantly, help me to obey when You speak to me. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!
(Today’s devotion was inspired by a conversation I had with my sister, thanks sister!)
This resonated a lot because I had paused my tithe giving.
God has asked us to bring our tithe and offering and yet I did not obey Him. I had to remember that when I was paying off debt and my salary was lower I paid tithe. He made a way for me to get through thousands in debt in a short period of time making a lower salary. Now that I make more money I should definitely keep that same commitment and obey His ask for 10%. He will make away and he showed me he could. This was another banger Muriel!
I really appreciate your transparency here and recognizing where you need to pick back up again in your obedience to God. God is so faithful to convict us of where we fall short, it’s up to us to listen. Also, when He sees that we are faithful in little, then He can trust us with much more and will bless us with more (Luke 16:10-12). Thank you so much for sharing, Nerley! All glory to God!