Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath
“So he went to Zarephath. When he (Elijah) came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, ‘Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?’ As she was going to get it, he called, ‘And bring me, please, a piece of bread.’ ‘As surely as the Lord your God lives,’ she replied, ‘I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.’ Elijah said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid…make a small loaf 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 the Lord sends rain on the land.’ 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 17:10-16 NIV (emphasis added)
Many times, we place a lid on our jar of encouragement by withholding life-giving words (in my case music/songs). “I am drained. I am dried up inside. I do not have enough to give to someone else,” we moan. However, when we give anyway, even in our emotional emptiness, the same God who miraculously filled up the widow’s flour and oil jars will fill us back up, too.
Summary: God is in control. Even when you feel empty, sing His praises, give His love to others. Pour out from your empty jar. And when you do, you will be filled back up.
Daily Devotional by Sharon Jaynes
Submitted by Betsy Sanders
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