Unexpected blessing

    There is an interesting story in 1 Kings 17:7-16, about a widow God uses to provide food for the prophet Elijah. But, here is the interesting part: this widow did not have what was required but when she chose to be obedient, God used her and blessed her abundantly.
    It so happened that the prophet Elijah had declared a drought over the land. God sent him to Zarephath where he met a widow who was gathering sticks. He asked her to bring water for him to drink and some bread for him to eat. She in turn responded that she did not have any bread. All she in fact had was a little flour and oil with which to prepare a final meal for her and her son. After this, she expected to die. Elijah, however, encouraged her and insisted that she first make a small loaf for him and then also for her and her son. He added that the Lord promised that her flour and oil would not run out until the day that He sent rain on the land. She obeyed and the Lord did as He promised and she was able to feed Elijah and herself and her family all the days of the drought.
    What comes to my mind with this story is the fact that the woman was preparing to die. Because things seemed hopeless and a turnaround impossible, she simply gave up and prepared for her and her son to die. How many times do we feel the same way in challenging situations? We don’t see a way out and our attitude and actions show that we have given up. Yet, when God steps into our situation, there is always hope and there will always be a way out or even through our challenge.
    The other thing that comes to my mind is the fact that that widow had very little to offer. In fact, all she had was just enough for her and her son. When Elijah came along, she was not trying to be selfish or rude. She knew that what she had was not enough for him also. Yet, when she chose to be obedient, God did the miraculous for her and her family. 
    It’s the same with us. When we are going through challenges, we may feel as if we have nothing to offer. We may feel too sick to be of any help or use to anyone; our resources may be too low or non-existent to be of any assistance to someone else; we may feel too discouraged and overwhelmed to be able to offer strength and encouragement to someone who needs it. Yet, the reality is, we may not have the strength or resources to help someone else, but God does. And, when we choose to give the little we have to Him, He is able to multiply it and use what we have surrendered to Him to be a blessing to others. 
    At the same time, God is not blind to our sacrifice. When we give what we have and do the little that we can, God will make sure that even what we need is supplied. It may be the extra strength to keep going; it may be much needed resources we did not have before. Whatever we need, God will provide because of our simple act of obedience to be a blessing to someone else. 
    In my own life, there are times I may not always feel that I have enough for myself and others. Recently, I prayed for someone when I myself would have loved for someone to pray for me. Yet, I was able to identify with what the person was going through because I was going through pretty much the same thing. I could have left them alone, after all they did not ask for prayer. But, I felt the Lord directing me to pray with them for the exact same thing I desperately needed myself. When I obeyed and prayed, God also provided what I needed even though I did not get prayer for myself. 
    God is not blind to what we are going through. He sees, He knows, He cares. Yet, there may be times when He will ask us to give when we feel we don’t have enough or do some task we don’t feel equipped to handle. Yet, God is faithful. When we choose to obey Him, He will enable us to handle the task and bless us in ways we did not expect.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God will never ask you to do something or to give something He has not enabled you to handle. When you choose to obey, He will meet your needs in ways you would never have dreamed or expected.
​

---