My God shall supply !

‘Then the word of the Lord came to him (Elijah), saying, "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you." So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink." And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." So she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.  For thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.' “So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.’                               1 Kings 17:8-16

The Lord’s instruction to Elijah was urgent and direct, “Arise, go to Zarephath and dwell there”.  The NIV says, “Go at once to Zarephath and stay there”. This instruction was given during a time of famine. The people of Israel had rebelled against God.  They worshipped Baal and in their worship, believed that it was Baal who controlled the rain.  They gave thanks to Baal for showering their crops.  So to demonstrate His power as the One True God over all times and seasons, the Lord caused a drought.  Cry as they might, Baal could not cause a single drop of rain to fall.  Elijah made this declaration to the king of Israel, "As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word." (1 Kings 17:1).  

During this season of drought, God miraculously provided bread and meat for Elijah through His heavenly delivery service – the ravens (1 Kings 17: 2-6) and Elijah drank fresh water from a nearby brook.  In a time of great famine, all of his needs were being met directly from the hand of God, that is, until the brook dried.  Elijah then received a new set of orders and the new promise of provision was as extraordinary as before, “See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”  Generally, widows, during that time, were dependent upon others for their provision.  How is it possible for a widow to be the vessel through whom God would bring the blessing?  For that matter, how was it possible that ravens could deliver bread and meat – twice…daily?

I find it very interesting that though God says to Elijah that He had commanded a widow to provide for him, it’s obvious that the Lord didn’t tell the widow.  Her expectation was that she and her son would eat their final meal and then die.  Elijah, being undeterred by her response, gave the widow direct and urgent instruction, which she followed, and the miraculous provision began..... again!

I see in this scripture the importance of obedience.  When God directs, your obedience can mean the difference between suffering and experiencing a miracle. How different would this story be had Elijah waited a day or two before making the journey?   I also see how important it is to not place limits on what God is able or willing to do.  Elijah, having been fed miraculously by ravens was obedient to go to Zarephath, but what if his faith had been shaken at the widow’s response?  And what if the widow had not been willing to obey the man of God? 

Along with his instruction, Elijah spoke three very important words – “Do not fear!”  Fear keeps us from obeying.  Fear keeps us from trusting.  Fear traps us in a pit called, Worry.  Please know that, ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’ (2 Timothy 1:7) 

And be encouraged by these words, ^‘My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’

                                                                                                             Philippians 4:19 (NKJV)

Be obedient and be blessed!