I’m guessing the older sister is going to have some trust issues.

Having faith is hard, isn’t it? I heard a sermon by Philip De Courcy on the radio talking about the story of the prophet Elijah and the widow in 1 Kings 17:7-16. There was a severe drought and God told Elijah that a certain woman was going to provide for him. So off he went and found this woman out gathering sticks. He asked for some water and bread, but apparently the widow was on the verge of starving to death, having just enough for one last meal for her and her son. I guess God didn’t give the widow a heads up.

Verses 13 and 14 are quite astonishing given the woman’s predicament: “Elijah said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 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 of the Lord gives rain on the land.'” (emphasis mine)

Imagine being one meal away from watching your child die from starvation and encountering a stranger who asks for you to make him something first out of the very little you have left, and promising some magical unlimited flour and oil. Why don’t I make some bread for me and my son first and see if the flour and oil will keep on coming?

Isn’t that what goes on in our minds when God asks us to step out in faith and trust Him? Perhaps God is asking us to wait on Him to start a relationship. Or asking us to step out in faith to take a less prestigious or lower paying position. Or even to reach out to someone who is difficult to love. But stepping out into the unknown is hard. We want the whole thing laid out first, and especially the outcome before we’ll say yes to God.

Funny thing is that God has already laid it out for us. I hate to spoil the Bible mini-series but we know how it ends. Christ will return in glory and God’s kingdom will be ushered in full. On that day, we will realize that the things we gave up in faith for God really wasn’t much at all compared to all that God has in store for His children.

And how do we know that God will do exactly as He promised in the Bible? Well, as Easter sunday is just a few days away, the resurrection of Christ showed that God was faithful to His promises then, and it gives us confidence that God will be faithful to His promises today. So as we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, let us be reminded that our God who is soverign over history is also sovereign in our everyday lives. Sometimes God only shows us enough to take the next step. But look far down and take heart that God has taken care of the end.

How is God asking you to trust Him today? 

“She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.” 1 Kings 17:15-16

Thanks Priscilla for the clip!