Provider

Provider

Ever feel like, “This is it?” After this, it’s over. If this particular situation doesn’t work out how you need it to, then you don’t know what to do? No where to go…you’re pretty much out of options?

Yep. I’m there. Still there. And there’s nothing I can do about it.

And that’s exactly what God wants.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately how the widow woman was picking up sticks in front of her home. A place that was once beautiful to her. A place that she once loved. A place where she probably watched her husband farm in the hot sun. A place where she smiled as her little boy would run around the house chasing butterflies, and after a long day of work they would sit down and eat their meal together as a family. But those days were over. Her husband is now gone. Her boy is about to die and so is she. This house holds nothing but torment to her soul for all she can do is look back at what she did have and now has nothing to look forward to in the future.

I do that. I look back at all what I had going for me and what I was looking forward to. My book was getting published, seeing new places on a girl’s trip, traveling all year long to write children’s books, going on a vacation I’ve been looking forward to for years, getting to go back to work with my students in Thailand. I can keep adding to this list but then sometimes it can all be taken away in the blink of an eye with the word Covid-19.

I know I’m not the only one. The entire world has gone through waves of devastation in some shape or form with this deadly virus.

Like this widow woman, a famine, a drought swept over the land. Nothing she could control. Nothing she saw coming. It came. It happened. Now it was just gone. Everything.

I have to say, God prepares us for what is to come. We don’t realize it at the moment, but looking back you will always find God’s plan weaved through His child’s life.

You see, lately I’ve been battling a lot with what I don’t have. I could make a list up really quick – faster than you could shout, “Same here Sister!” of what I don’t have and what I do want. It’s hard sometimes.

A song came on the radio called “Provider” and I sat back and listened to it. It starts off by saying, “Why am I clutching and grabbing at all the things that I don’t have? When You’ve given me everything. Why am I stuck in my feelings thinking I know what I deserve? When the answer is clear to me. ‘Cause what You give me Lord is more than I desire. You’re my Provider.”

In a hopeless situation like this widow woman is in, no amount of money could have fixed her need. Driving around town with the hottest looking car wouldn’t have helped. Wearing the cutest/coolest designer clothes wouldn’t have covered up the facts. Having a magazine picture perfect house wouldn’t have answered her grieving questions. None of that mattered anymore.

Then what happened? It’s when you are at your lowest point, when it’s all stripped away – God sends an Elijah. But does Elijah give her anything? No. Instead he asked for something. He asked for food. The very thing the woman and her son needed the most at the moment to survive.

It amazes me reading this in the scripture that this woman didn’t hesitate. She didn’t ask questions. She didn’t explain her situation that she was in. Knowing me – I would have told him all the reasons of why I couldn’t make him the last loaf of bread.

We don’t know what she was thinking. The Bible doesn’t say. All I know is that in verse 12 she tells Elijah “your God” and in verse 15 it says she went. I can imagine her turning around to go back into her home, taking a step towards it, she had made her choice right there that she was going to make Elijah’s God her God and she put Him first.

Seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of Heaven and all of these things will be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33) It’s about priorities.

AND she gave it all. How many times do we hold a little bit back for ourselves just in case it doesn’t pan out? Just in case it doesn’t go the way we planned and we need a back up plan? Come on now…fess up.

What I’ve been wanting to get at this whole time is this. She already had it. The widow woman already had what she needed. She had the oil. It wasn’t much. To her it wasn’t much good and probably over looked but for a one more time use. But God saw it and used it. God saw it and multiplied it.

He knows what you need. The oil was there waiting to be used. It wasn’t much. But we serve a God Who is our Provider. He’s given it all to you already, you just have to give it back.

“And MY God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

I want us to grasp this here today. He couldn’t multiply the oil until after she gave it to Him.

From crumbs to whole – that’s what God does. From drops to a river – that’s what God does. From broken clay to a beautiful pottery – that’s what God does.

So I just want to encourage you today as I have been encouraged by this – God uses what we have. It may look like all hope is lost right now. But when we give Him what we have – He will multiply it.

He is our Provider.

*You can read this story in 1 Kings 17:1-16