God's People Trust God To Provide
Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid. Go and do just as you said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from the flour and bring it out to me. Then go and make another for you and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. The jar of flour will not run out and the pitcher of oil will not become empty until the day the Lord sends rain to water the surface of the ground.” (1 Kings 17:13–14)
Many times, God provided for his people through miracles. When God proclaimed a drought on the land of Israel because of King Ahab’s wickedness, Elijah’s source of food and water also disappeared. So God sent Elijah to a poor widow in a town called Zarephath. When Elijah arrived, the widow was gathering sticks to make her and her son their last meal before they starved to death. When Elijah asked her for a loaf of bread and told her that if she gave him the bread her oil and flour would not run out, she trusted that God would do as Elijah had said. She gave generously out of her poverty to help Elijah, and God richly blessed her.
God loves to bless his people. In Malachi 3:10 God says “Bring the complete tithe to the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Just test me in this, says the Lord of Armies. See whether I do not open for you the windows of heaven and pour down blessing on you until there is more than enough.” He wants his people to trust that he will provide for our spiritual needs as well as our physical. God certainly has given us more than we deserve in terms of spiritual blessings. He has forgiven our sins and made us heirs of heaven. We are sons and daughters of the heavenly King who controls all things. But God also provides for our physical needs. He gives us what we need at the time and sees that our needs are provided for. And sometimes, he gives us more than we need. But even if God does not provide what we think we need, he does so for our good. May we always trust that God provides for us, even in ways that we do not understand. And may we thank him for the gifts and blessings that he gives us. Amen.
The song for today is “God Provides” By Tamela Mann