Don’t despise the generosity of the poor

1 Kings 17: 8-16
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 ‘Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.’ 10 So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.’ 11 As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.’ 12 But she said, ‘As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.’ 13 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. 14 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.’ 15 She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
This week the theme Protection and Redemption takes on a new significance when we read the story of the Widow of Zarephath. The prophet Elijah appears to have crossed the line with his request when he asks the starving widow to share her last few ounces of oil and oatmeal with him. Yet in doing so he promises that her cruse of oil and her barrel of meal will never be empty. This is a significant story that illustrates what the psalmist was speaking about yesterday in Psalm 127. When we are willing to step out in faith God is able to do exceedingly above all we have ever asked or thought.
God of the Impossible,
To start with
You made us out of nothing
Quite impossible!
Yet you say
With me,
With You
All things are possible
You take a prophet on his last legs
You take a widow on her last meal
You take a seeker on the last word
You take a believer on her last throw of dice
And you take the last moment of the last minute
And you make the impossible possible
Your hands are on the clock of time
Spinning our hours into eternity
Redeeming our lives
And protecting our souls
You are truly an amazing and even scary God to be around
Oil
Oatmeal
Fire
Water
And eternity
All in the spin of a hand
Truly amazing!
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