RUNNING ON EMPTY
Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said;
but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me,
and afterwards make something for yourself and your son.
For thus says the Lord the God of Israel:
"The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail
until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth."
1 Kings 17:13-14
Do you ever feel like you're running on empty? Maybe like the widow at Zarephath, your cupboards are bare and your bank account is empty. Or maybe you are exhausted from dealing with difficult people and conflicts. And, of course, you are really tired of dealing with the Coronavirus. You look at your jar of oil with only a few drops in it and wonder how you are going to have the strength to deal with everything before you collapse.
All through the Gospels, Jesus asks us to trust Him in a big way. He calls us to put His kingdom first and serve others before ourselves. This seems like a really difficult thing to do when we feel empty. Have you ever read the story of the widow of Zarephath and thought that Elijah sounded a bit thoughtless when he asked her to feed him when she was in such need. Here she was thinking about making a loaf of bread for her and her son and then they would die. There would be nothing left.
And yet when the woman offered all she had - her meager resources to God, He met her and then He supplied enough for her needs and her son's - not just for that day, but for every day of the famine.
We don't have to pretend to be something we aren't with our heavenly Father. We can come in honesty about our emptiness and ask Him to provide. Then we can follow as He leads us to someone we can serve. And in the "beautiful economy of the kingdom," as we meet the needs of others, God will meet our needs.
Let us pray: Dear God, thank You for always providing for us. Help us to always be open to opportunities to serve others in Your name.
Pastor Ruth
