In August 2022, I made plans to visit my son Jarett in Vancouver, British Columbia. He had moved into a new place the previous year, and I had not visited him since then. I am fortunate to have three other children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren living within ten minutes of my home in Edmonton, Alberta. As is my custom, I like to prepare some of Jarrett's favorite foods to share with him when I visit or others go to see him.
My flight was on a Thursday, so I planned my cooking and baking for Monday to Wednesday mornings that week. I decided to make roti on Monday, which is a Trinidadian flatbread that we fill with curried potatoes and chickpeas, to make a vegetarian wrap. Next was sweet bread on Tuesday, another Trinidadian staple with spices, raisins, and coconut. To top off the list, a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies would be needed on Wednesday. Whenever my family sees me making one of these dishes, the question is typically, "Is Jarett coming home?" or "Is that for your favorite child?" I then remind them they are spoiled since they enjoy the fruits of my labor regularly, especially Sabbaths (Saturdays) after church when we fellowship and enjoy lunch together at my home.
I got off to an early start and finished making the bread around 9:00 on Tuesday morning. Shortly thereafter, I received a call reminding me of a massage on Wednesday. Oh no, I thought, that would not give me enough time to make the cookies, besides my other commitments that day. I quickly shifted gears and decided to do them right away. My flour bin was almost empty, so I went to the other pantry in the basement to see if I had stored any there, but there was none. I pulled out the recipe and noted that I needed 1 1/2 cups of flour. After saying a quick prayer, I gathered the remaining ingredients and measured them out. When I got to the flour, you guessed it, the exact amount that I needed was in the bin. What a mighty God I serve! He is into all the details.
In 1 Kings 17:7–16, the story is told of the prophet Elijah, who ravens fed during a drought. The brook from which Elijah drank water eventually dried up, so God told him to go to Zarephath and stay there. The Lord had already worked it out for a widow to provide for the prophet. When Elijah showed up, he found the widow gathering sticks and asked her for a drink of water. As she turned to get the water, Elijah called out and asked her for a morsel of bread.
God Cares
The woman was taken aback, as she had no bread but just a handful of flour in a bin and a little jar of oil. She planned to gather the sticks, make something for herself and her son to eat, and prepare to die because that surely would be their last meal. The prophet told the widow, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth” (1 Kings 17:13,14).
My initial reaction to this was, “Are you kidding me!” The woman just told you that she has no bread but just a handful of flour to make something so she and her son could eat and die. Now you want her to make a cake and give it to you first! Besides, Elijah had just met the woman. How does she even know that he is who he claims to be? If I were in her place, I would probably do a background check on this so-called prophet and review his social media accounts to verify his identity and credibility.
The widow, however, exercised faith and trust in the word of God through the prophet. Verses 15 to 16 read: “So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.”
WOW! Little is much when God is in it for real. God promised to take care of them, and He did just that. I can only imagine the excitement the widow and her son must have felt when they saw God's hand working each day.
This reinforces that I can take God at His word, just as that widow did. It is easy to look at our current situation and feel desperate or hopeless. This account of Elijah and the widow gives me hope, and I pray it does the same for you. Just as God provided enough flour for me to make that batch of cookies and to feed the woman, her guest, and her son for many days, so will He take care of your needs, whatever they are.
Call to Action
Are you physically, emotionally, financially, or spiritually going through a drought right now? Are the high interest rates, gas, and food prices causing concern? Are you questioning if you will make it through another day, week, or month, and you feel like all hope is gone? I invite you to please try God; you have nothing to lose. The Word, the Bible, is full of accounts of how God showed up for people when things looked hopeless. Why not take Him at His word and prove Him today?
All scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
