We Trust…God Supplies

In 1 Kings chapter 17, the prophet Elijah tells King Ahab that a drought is coming because the people have been worshiping the false god, Baal. Now here’s the connection. Baal is their god of rain. So, what God is doing here is withholding the very thing the people are worshiping. And really, we shouldn’t be that surprised when the same thing happens in our lives. We might pray for God to give us something, and he doesn’t come through: A larger bank account, a bigger house, a newer car, a girlfriend, a husband. We’ve asked God for these things over and over again, but it doesn’t happen. And we wonder: Doesn’t God want me to be happy? Why doesn’t he give me what I want? Well, here’s the answer: God is not in the habit of handing out idols. He’s not gonna give us things that are gonna become more important to us than God is. So, we shouldn’t be surprised if God withholds, or even withdraws, from us the very things that have become more important to us.

Well, Elijah tells King Ahab that a drought is coming. And then in 1 Kings 17, God gives Elijah some instructions. He says…

3 “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan. 4 You are to drink from the wadi. I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.”

Now, Elijah has got to be thinking: Umm…are you sure, God? It’s not gonna rain for a very long time, and you want me to travel away from the Jordan River, which is the main source of water? And you’re gonna provide food for me using ravens? Ravens are unclean for us Jews. We’re not even supposed to touch them. This whole thing doesn’t seem right to me, Lord.

But look at verse 5…

5 So he proceeded to do what the LORD commanded. Elijah left and lived at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan.

So, instead of arguing with God about this, Elijah simply trusts God. And sometimes, as followers of Jesus, we need to trust God even when it doesn’t make sense. And you know, much of what the Bible says about money doesn’t make sense. In fact, a lot of it is countercultural and counterintuitive. And so, many of us have a difficult time believing certain things the Bible says about money.

Give to God the first 10% of our gross income, and he will bless us beyond measure.

Give to God the first and best of what we earn, and he will provide even more for us.

It’s more blessed to give than to receive. How many of you believe that?

But let’s say I’ve got a thousand dollars that I could give to you, but I know of someone in need, and you could give them a thousand dollars of your own money. It’s really up to you. You can either receive my thousand dollars, or you can give away a thousand dollars of your own money. Now, if you really believe that it’s more blessed to give than to receive, you’d say, “You know what, Jeremy? Keep your thousand dollars. I’m gonna give away my thousand dollars.” But some of us have a difficult time believing the promises of God in the Scriptures.

Proverbs 3:5 says…

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;

While it may not make sense to Elijah, he still trusts in God. He obeys.

Now, look at what happens in verse 7…

7 After a while, the wadi dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

So, just to be clear here, God sends Elijah to this brook during a drought. The brook dries up, and now Elijah’s without water. Maybe some of us feel like we’re standing next to a dried-up brook. We’ve been obedient to the Lord. We’ve tried to do things God’s way. We’ve tried to honor God in every area of our lives, including the area of finances, but the brook is dry. My relationships are stale. I don’t have any emotional energy left. There’s too much month at the end of our money. There’s no money left for the gas bill. We’ve depleted our savings account. We’re standing next to this dried-up brook, going, “God, I hope you’re seeing this. And I really hope you’re gonna do something about it.” It’s in times like these when we find out if we really trust God. It’s in times like these that we’ve got to trust God even when the future seems uncertain.

Before his death, Christian author Henry Nouwen wrote about the interesting relationship that exists between trapeze artists. The flyer is the one who releases his grip on the bar and flies. The catcher is the one who stays on the bar to catch the flyer. As the flyer is flying high above the crowd, his job is to simply reach out his hands, be as still as possible, and wait to be caught. The worst thing the flyer can do is to try to reach out and catch the catcher. He simply has to reach out his hands, be still with confidence, and trust that the strong arms of the catcher will catch him. Maybe this is where some of us find ourselves this morning. The brook is dry, and we’re flying through the air. Everything in us is saying, “Catch the catcher.” Everything in us is saying, “Hit the panic button.” And God simply says, “Be still. Trust me.” Just reach out your hands and trust the catcher.

Well, Elijah waits on God. And then in verse 9, God gives Elijah further instructions that seem even more unusual. He sends Elijah into enemy territory to meet a Gentile widow who’s gonna take care of his needs. Again, I can imagine Elijah thinking: A Gentile widow? Are you sure, God? This doesn’t make any sense. We’re not supposed to associate with people who aren’t like us. But Elijah doesn’t argue.

Verse 10…

10 So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup and let me drink.”

Now, that’s not a small request since there hasn’t been any rain in a very long time.

Verse 11…

11 As she went to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.”

He might as well be asking for her life savings.

Verse 12…

12 But she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I don’t have anything baked—only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”

How’s that for perspective? I wonder how many of us have known poverty like that. When was the last time any of us wondered at the beginning of the day if we would have something to eat by the end of the day? This poor widow is struggling so much that she has resigned herself to the fact that she and her son are gonna eat their last meal together and then starve to death.

Now, here’s a question I have: Why did God choose her? Why choose a poor, destitute widow to serve Elijah? Why would God ask someone who’s starving to death to be generous? To me, if anyone has the right to sit back and say, “I just can’t right now because times are tough,” it’s this poor widow. She’s got to be thinking that there are other people in town who are better off and could handle such a request, and it wouldn’t even be a burden to them.

How about us? Maybe some of us can relate. When times are tough, and we’re struggling to live paycheck to paycheck, shouldn’t we get a free pass on this generosity thing? Why would God choose us to be generous?

Why did God choose this woman? Here’s what I think. It’s the same reason God chose a shepherd boy named David to defeat a giant named Goliath. It’s the same reason God chose a teenage girl named Mary to be the mother of his Son. It’s the same reason he chose uneducated fishermen like Peter and John to follow Jesus. The reason God chose this widow – and the reason he chooses us – is really simple. It’s because he can. God knew he could use them. And he knows he can use us, no matter how little we may think we have to offer. He can use us in very big and powerful ways.

Verse 13…

13 Then Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son,”

But first… This is one of those money principles in the Bible that doesn’t make sense. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the idea of firstfruits. God gets the first part of what we earn. It’s rightfully his. Yet, I wonder how often some of us don’t give God the first piece of the pie. Instead, we consume the pie and then look at the leftover crumbs, and that’s what we end up giving to God. Deuteronomy 14:22-23 tells us that the purpose of tithing (giving God the first 10%) is so that we will always learn to honor and respect the Lord our God. God doesn’t ask us to give because he needs our money. He asks us to give because it teaches us to put him at the center of our lives. And that’s the key – putting God at the center of our lives. When we give the Lord our lives, everything else falls into place.

Elijah continues in verse 14…

14 “for this is what the LORD God of Israel says, ‘The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the surface of the land.’”

Here’s another Biblical principle that doesn’t make sense. If you trust God, and you give to him first, God will supply your needs. It’s Matthew 6:33 where Jesus says to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all the things you need in life will be given to you as well.

Verses 15-16…

15 So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. Then the woman, Elijah, and her household ate for many days. 16 The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the LORD he had spoken through Elijah.

Isn’t that cool? Trust in God, and God will supply our needs.