The Sixth Sunday after Creation (CL)

1 Kings 17:7-16

And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. 

⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to him, ⁹ “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” ¹⁰ So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” ¹¹ And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” ¹² 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.” ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ 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.’ ” ¹⁵ And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. ¹⁶ The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah. 

There is a great understanding of trust. We do not fully understand the reality this woman is facing. She has not only lost her husband and provider. She has worked to sustain life for her son. She has already suffered through this time of great drought in the land. Now this widow is preparing to expire, not only her supplies but also her life.

Here she is now faced with the messenger of God. He does not reject her truth and reality. But he expands her focus. God has provided her with hardship and struggle, so that he can reveal his true glory to her. Elijah comes to this foreign widow, and he calls her to trust in God.

And I just love how he requires of her trust, "Do not fear; go and do as you have siad. BUT FIRST make me a little cake of it and bring it to me." We can put a lot of trust in ourselves, and in our own resources. But first put your hope and trust in God. He is the one who provides you with life. He is the one who will preserve life, and for this widow, her son, and Elijah the jar of flour was not spent.

Does this mean all our jars will never be spent? No, but it does mean we should trust in God for our needs and not ourselves. Just as we should trust in God for our Salvation and not ourselves. He is the one who provides the sacrifice that will never run out, but a cup that overflows.