Just enough

"For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.'"  1 Kings 17:14 (NIV)

If you have a moment or two, go ahead and read the passage surrounding this verse, 1 Kings 17:2-24.

I've written before about a few instances where just the right amount of money surfaced to cover something unexpected or suddenly necessary.  It happens a lot, doesn't it?  You realize it's time to refill your LP tank and wonder where the money will come from...and then you get an unexpected refund from insurance.  Your car needs a major repair, surprise, your husband gets hours of overtime. 

It doesn't have to be monetary either.  Maybe you are so exhausted from running or you've been sick and you have a commitment at church, God sends along a Midwest ice storm and things are postponed.  You can now stay home and rest.  You're trying to figure out how your family is going to eat at least one home-cooked meal this week and someone surprises you with supper.  

In the passage noted above, Elijah is told by God at one point that the ravens and a stream will provide him with food and water.  Then he is told to go to Zarephath and a widow would supply him with the food he'd need.  He finds the widow right inside the city gates and asks her for food.  The widow at that very moment is gathering sticks so she can go home and build a fire to prepare her and her son's final meal.  The widow only has flour and oil left for one more meal and this is it.  She knows that they will surely starve to death, and now this man has the nerve to ask her for a drink and a piece of bread.  He tells her not to be afraid, the Lord says that the flour jar will not be empty and the oil will not run dry.

I don't know about you, but that would be a pretty hard pill for me to swallow.  I have this image in my head of this widow starting to laugh uncontrollably at the request because she literally has almost nothing left.  I can picture myself saying, "You've got to be kidding me, right?  I'm supposed to give this stranger the last of my stash and believe that I will continue to have enough food for me and my son?"  Uh-huh.  But being a better woman than I, she did as she was told and her jar never emptied and her jug never ran dry.  God provided her just enough to get by.

And then there's Elijah.   As someone whose entire day revolves around mealtime and snacks, I can't even begin to relate to this guy.  To just head out the door completely empty-handed trusting that what I needed as far as nourishment would be provided along my way, uh-uh, nope, I am not sure I could do it.  I would have to pack something to nibble on, at least every three hours!

Personally, I feel like birds are good-for-nothing creatures.  Elijah went way out on a limb by trusting that birds would bring him food.  AND THEY DID.  They brought him meat and bread every morning and evening.   He moves on and finds this widow that God tells him will provide food for him and she does!  They don't describe humongous feasts where they eat until they are stuffed, they had just enough food and drink to get them through until the next meal.

Elijah, what a man of great faith, trusting that God would provide him food and water along his journey.  The widow, she saw the need of another and, sacrificing her and her son's last amount of food, she did what she could to meet that need.  Do I think that she did this expecting for God to multiply her food, no, not really.  I think she did what she her heart told her she needed to do.

We are called to meet the needs of others if we are able.  Sometimes we may not feel equipped to do it, but our heart is telling us to go for it.  Good news, God will give us just enough to get by...and sometimes even more as a blessing for being good stewards.