saltandlight

Since I was a little girl, my faith in the Lord has been strong.  I am not bragging when I say this, I just feel that this is a gift that God has given to me.  As a small child I was taken to Sunday School at a very small church. I loved going to church!  In the Sunday school class it was just me and the teacher, no other students my age (at least for a short time).  And I enjoyed being the only kid in her class.  I soaked up all of her Sunday School lessons.  I don’t remember many of them now but I know that those lessons planted seeds in my heart.

One lesson I do remember. Every time I read these scriptures or here the story told, it takes me right back to that little country church, in that little Sunday School class with Ms. Dolly.  The lesson was about Elijah and the widow.  When I remember back to the lesson I don’t remember much about Elijah in the story, all that really stuck with me was the widow’s faithfulness and how God provided.

Elijah was a man of God. He was following God’s command and he came to a widow’s house. God told Elijah where to go. He actually said in 1 Kings 17:9 “Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.”  That verse tells me that God had already prepared this woman for Elijah’s visit.  God had prepared her heart for this moment and He of course knew that she would obey.

So, as Elijah came up to the widow’s house he asked first for just water.  She was going to fetch the water and then he asked her for a morsel of bread.  She was so humble in her response in verse 12: “And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”  Can you imagine how she was feeling in this moment?  She was out gathering sticks to light a fire so that she could cook her last little bit of meal (or flour) and oil so that she and her son could eat it and just wait to die.  As a mother I know that had to feel awful for her. Not only was she unable to feed herself, but she had a son to feed and had nothing to feed him. 

But God had a plan!  Elijah tells her not to worry and go ahead and make the bread.  At this point I probably would have been questioning him!  Here they were in a drought, she was already stressed and here comes this man telling me to give him what little bit of food I have left.  Is he crazy?  But, remember that God had prepared her heart for this.  When Elijah told her that she would not run out of meal or oil until the rain comes, she believed him.  “And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. (many…: or, a full year).  And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.”  1 Kings 17:15-16.  (Some scholars believe that “many” here could be referring to a year or more.)

When we obey God, even when it seems crazy, He takes care of us.  Of course there are so many stories in the Bible of great faith just like the faith of this widow.  But, this one I can relate to.  I was always amazed that there was only a little bit of meal and oil and it lasted them a whole year!  There have been times that I didn’t have enough money to buy groceries to get us through the week, and God provided.  And I would always remember this story.

My faith hasn’t always been that strong.  There have been times as an adult that my faith has faltered and I missed out on some blessings.  In this crazy, chaotic, busy life, we can forget this one simple thing. Just have faith.  We try to do everything ourselves.  We think we have to handle it all. We as mothers carry the weight of our family on our shoulders.  Whatever is bothering our children, is bothering us.  I heard a quote the other day that I thought was true. “A mother is only as happy as her saddest child.”  That’s because we carry their load. We carry their load, our load, our husband’s load, our work load and sometimes our church’s load.  But, we don’t have to!  We are carrying all of this and God is standing right behind us with a basket, waiting for us to toss it in. (I’m comparing our loads to laundry now I guess!)  We can lay it all at his feet and let him carry our load for us.

God cared for that widow woman and her son.  He provided for them. He provides for us.  All we have to do is trust Him and obey!

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Romans 15:13