1 Kings 17:8-12: a reflection

8The LORD’s word came to him, saying, 9“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.” 10So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.” 11As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12She said, “As the LORD your God lives, I don’t have anything baked, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jar. Behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”

God sends Elijah, in a time of famine, to a widow in Zarephath, saying, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you. But when Elijah arrives and asks her for food, the widow reveals her extremity: she has only a handful of meal and a little oil left, and is gathering sticks to bake a last meal for herself and her son, that they may eat it and die. She is at the very end of her resources, expecting to starve. And yet God had already appointed her to sustain his prophet, and would provide.

Notice the gap between the widow's sense of her situation and God's provision already appointed. The widow saw only her handful of meal and expected to die; from her side, all was at an end. But God had already said, before she knew it, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you; provision was already appointed, though she could not see it. Even as she prepared for her last meal, God had a provision in view that she did not know. The provision was already appointed, before she saw any sign of it, in the very depth of her extremity.

That is worth taking to heart, for we can be at the end of our resources, seeing no way, while God has already appointed provision we cannot yet see. We can be, like the widow, down to our last, expecting the worst, unable to see any way forward; and in that extremity we can despair. But God had already appointed the widow's provision before she knew of it, even as she prepared to die. When you are at the end of your resources, seeing no way, do not despair as though all were truly at an end; God may already have appointed provision you cannot yet see, as he had for the widow. The God who provided for the widow of Zarephath at the very depth of her extremity may have provision already appointed for you that you do not yet see; trust him even at the end of your resources, for his provision can be already in view when from your side all seems at an end.

Lord, you sent Elijah, in a time of famine, to a widow in Zarephath, saying, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you. But when Elijah arrived and asked her for food, the widow revealed her extremity: she had only a handful of meal and a little oil left, and was gathering sticks to bake a last meal for herself and her son, that they may eat it and die. She was at the very end of her resources. And yet you had already appointed her to sustain your prophet, and would provide. Show me the gap between the widow's sense of her situation and your provision already appointed. She saw only her handful of meal and expected to die; from her side, all was at an end. But you had already said, before she knew it, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you; provision was already appointed, though she could not see it. The provision was already in view, before she saw any sign of it, in the very depth of her extremity. Take that to my heart, for I can be at the end of my resources, seeing no way, while you have already appointed provision I cannot yet see. I can be, like the widow, down to my last, expecting the worst; and in that extremity I can despair. But you had already appointed the widow's provision before she knew of it. When I am at the end of my resources, keep me from despairing as though all were truly at an end; you may already have appointed provision I cannot yet see, Lord. Help me trust you even at the end of my resources, as you provided for the widow at the very depth of her extremity.