Monday September 19, 2022

Scripture Passage: 1 Kings 17: ¹² “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

Life Lesson: Our lack of resources is never a challenge to God, in fact our little is our opportunity to exercise faith and to witness God’s miraculous provision!

– Elijah asked the widow for food and water, yet she had almost nothing left to give. How do you respond when your resources are almost gone, yet you are asked to give?   At this point many or most would recoil and refuse trying to preserve what little we have left. 

– Does it seem reckless and foolish to you for someone to give when their resources are almost gone?  Jesus sat by the temple with His disciples and observed, Luke 21: As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. ² He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ³ “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. ⁴ All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

– So, what do you think?  Was the woman foolish to give all she had left to live on in offering to God?  This is where our faith is truly tested.  Do we actually believe that God can and will provide or not?  Many will respond with a resounding, “Yes” however when pressed by financial hardship one of the first things many will do is withhold their tithe. 

– Again, for perspective I point us back to the widow of Zarephath.  God had commanded her to provide sustenance for Elijah, yet she had almost nothing at all to give.   The widow that Jesus gave attention to gave generously out of her poverty, in fact in the eyes of God she gave more than any of the others who had given out of their abundance. 

– We read nothing more about the poor widow other than Jesus commended her faith and quite frankly to have Jesus commend you for your faith is incredible!  The widow of Zarephath had a choice, hold on tightly to the little that she had or give what she had by faith to God.  She chose to trust God and that meant she had to give over the little she had in faith believing that God would provide.  

– Sometimes our situation seems absolutely hopeless and hopelessness can make us desperate. Let me suggest a better way to approach hopelessness; instead of becoming desperate and insular we can open ourselves up to the promises of God!  We can choose to respond as did both of the widows we have studied today and choose to believe that God can breathe new life into our hopeless situation as we entrust what He has given us to Him by faith!