Part 3 of a four part series based on 1 Kings 17
Throughout my life I’ve rarely been satisfied by what I have. I may have had a Nintendo, but I wanted the latest game. I may have been a good student, but I wanted to be as smart as someone else. My ministry may have been going well, but I really wished it could be a little more like the church over there. Now, the positive aspect is that a hunger to do better can drive us to better develop our skills, getting the most out of our lives and abilities. Drive and motivation are certainly good things. However, I sometimes are longings to be like others, or to achieve certain goals we set for ourselves, lead us to miss something very important, and that is what we already have in our lives.
As we continue to follow the ministry of the prophet Elijah I am very struck by the following incident. For months Elijah has been living by a stream being fed by birds. FINALLY God tells him he can move on and live in a house in a village. When he arrives he discovers that his new caretaker has only the most minimal of resources: a little oil, a little flour, and some sticks.
“Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now 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 first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” 1 Kings 17:11-14
The woman thought there was little she could do because she had so little, but Elijah taught her to trust the Lord to bless and use what she did have. Friends, I think that’s one of the most important lessons we can learn in life. Instead of lamenting that we can’t sing like someone else, get a yield from our field like our neighbor, materially provide for our family like others, or preach like our favorite preacher, we need to fully trust God with what we do have. What gifts, skills, possessions, and passions do you have? Are you really trusting God to bless and use them? Instead of lamenting all that you lack, start rejoicing in what you have, and begin fully entrusting God to use it, as he used just a few sticks, a little oil, and a pinch of flour.
