Worship: Sundays at 8:15 am | 9:40 am | 11:00 am, Wednesdays at 6:35 pm
"God's provision"
The Lord's word came to Elijah: Get up and go to Zarephath near Sidon and stay there. I have ordered a widow there to take care of you. Elijah left and went to Zarephath. As he came to the town gate, he saw a widow collecting sticks. He called out to her, "Please get a little water for me in this cup so I can drink." She went to get some water. He then said to her, "Please get me a piece of bread." "As surely as the Lord your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any food; only a handful of flour in a jar and a bit of oil in a bottle. Look at me. I'm collecting two sticks so that I can make some food for myself and my son. We'll eat the last of the food and then die." Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid! Go and do what you said. Only make a little loaf of bread for me first. Then bring it to me. You can make something for yourself and your son after that. This is what Israel's God, the Lord, says: The jar of flour won't decrease and the bottle of oil won't run out until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth." The widow went and did what Elijah said. So the widow, Elijah, and the widow's household ate for many days. The jar of flour didn't decrease nor did the bottle of oil run out, just as the Lord spoke through Elijah. (1 Kings 17:8-16, CEB)
This story follows shortly after the first appearance of the great prophet, Elijah. Prophets were usually given pretty tough tasks and Elijah's first task was no exception - to declare that there would be a drought as judgment against Israel. As the writers of the Wesley Study Bible put it, "Israel's religious barrenness is now matched by agricultural barrenness." Unfortunately for Elijah, this meant that his resources would also dry up. So, God sent Elijah to the widow from Zarephath.
Because of Elijah's faithfulness to God's instructions to "get up and go" and the widow's faithfulness to God's instructions through Elijah, we see God's faithfulness to the widow, Elijah, and the widow's household. Call it a "circle of faithfulness." We also are given a reminder that "all resources belong to God, even in the midst of a drought induced by divine judgment." The widow of Zarephath certainly learned this from experience.
What about God's provision in your own life, both during days of drought and during days of abundant rain like we've had this month? How do you honor God for his provision?
Grace and peace,
Aaron
Trinity United Methodist Church
4000 NW 53rd Avenue
Gainesville, Florida 32653 United States
352.376.6615
TrinityGNV.org
Office Hours: Monday - Thursday, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm | Friday, 8:30 am - 1:30 pm
STAY CONNECTED
Trinity United Methodist Church
352.376.6615
TrinityGNV.org
Office Hours: Monday - Thursday, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm | Friday, 8:30 am - 1:30 pm
STAY CONNECTED
Trinity United Methodist Church
4000 NW 53rd Avenue
Gainesville, Florida 32653 United States
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