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 17:16
“See the faithfulness of divine love. You observe that this woman had daily necessities. She had herself and her son to feed in a time of famine; and now, in addition, the prophet Elijah was to be fed too. But though the need was threefold, yet the supply of meal wasted not, for she had a constant supply. Each day she made calls upon the barrel, but yet each day it remained the same. You, dear reader, have daily necessities, and because they come so frequently, you are apt to fear that the barrel of meal will one day be empty, and the cruse of oil will fail you.
Rest assured that, according to the Word of God, this shall not be the case. Each day, though it bring its trouble, shall bring its help; and though you should live to outnumber the years of Methuselah, and though your needs should be as many as the sands of the seashore, yet shall God’s grace and mercy last through all your necessities, and you shall never know a real lack. For three long years, in this widow’s days, the heavens never saw a cloud, and the stars never wept a holy tear of dew upon the wicked earth: famine, and desolation, and death, made the land a howling wilderness, but this woman never was hungry, but always joyful in abundance. So shall it be with you.
You shall see the sinner’s hope perish, for he trusts his native strength; you shall see the proud Pharisee’s confidence totter, for he builds his hope upon the sand; you shall see even your own schemes blasted and withered, but you yourself shall find that your place of defence shall be the munition of rocks: “Your bread shall be given you, and your water shall be sure.” Better have God for your guardian, than the Bank of England for your possession. You might spend the wealth of the Indies, but the infinite riches of God you can never exhaust.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon in Morning and Evening, Evening Reading for 28 February.
It’s been rewarding to mine the stories of Elijah and Elisha in the thinking of classic writers and biblical commentators. In a time of famine God constantly supplied.
Here Spurgeon reminds us that trusting God to provide our daily necessities for sharing and enjoyment is putting our confidence in a guardian better than the Bank of England.
We only figure it out when we live it out that the infinite riches of God can never be exhausted. Like the prophet we discover that we don’t end up empty but perpetually enriched.
Do most Christians rest assured or do they appear as restless? Does their stewardship reveal that they live in fear of scarcity rather than practicing and promoting the joy of abundance?
Next time you see the sand by a seashore remember this. Though your needs seem to outnumber the grains of sand, you shall never know real lack, because in Christ you have all you need.
My time with Rob and Bev Martin has been priceless, sharing stories, celebrating God’s faithfulness, and testifying to His goodness. I pray God gives me a double portion of Rob’s faith.