"Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tshbe in Gilead, said to Abah, "As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." (1 Kings 17:1 NIV)
The prophet told the king that the rains would stop. As powerful as kings (or even presidents) may be, they cannot control the weather. The Lord chose to stop up the rain, and the dew, as well. Israel is already an arid climate. Full years without measurable moisture would prove disastrous to their way of life. And yet, chapter seventeen records provision after provision.
In the first few verses, we find Elijah sustained in the wilderness. The Lord instructed, Elijah obeyed, and provision followed. Elijah found the brook and experienced the raven version of Door Dash just as God had promised.
"The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening and he drank from the brook." (1 Kings 17:6 NIV)
Next, Elijah was directed to Zaraphath to a bankrupt widow. At the Lord’s promising, Elijah asks the starving woman to make him a small loaf of bread. She objected: she had been gathering wood to build and fire and fix her tiny family’s very last meal. The flour and oil she possessed was just enough for one more portion. Elijah was insistent: the jar of flour would not empty and the jar of oil would not run dry. And of course, the prophet was right.
"She went away and did as Elijah told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and the woman and her family. (1 Kings 18:15 NIV)
The bottomless flour and oil went on for a long while, maybe even a couple of years. And then the widow’s son got sick and died. The desperate mother blamed Elijah: her grief eclipsing her recall of God’s miraculous prior provision. Elijah lovingly tugged her back to reality and restored her son’s life.
We look at 1 Kings 18 and see how God cares for His own, even as He corrects a wayward nation. Elijah was intent on honoring God even in crummy circumstances. As his life came in contact with other believers, their faith was edified, also. Faithful folks don’t have to worry their way through seasons of scarcity. Droughts and shortages are opportunities to delight in God’s supernatural provision.
Why am I sharing this? A recent Carey Nieuwhof conference featured Mark Sayers. Mark is a minister from Australia and he predicts the coming decade will include far-reaching scarcity. With a global pandemic and the unrest in the east, we have already seen supply chain interruptions. We’ve experienced empty grocery stores. Skyrocketing costs and limited availability are relatively new phenomenons for well-fed Americans. We’re not accustomed to ‘no’ or ‘not enough’. Even still, if scarcity is coming, believers needn’t worry. 1 Kings 18 reminds us how God provides for His own. He may even use supernatural means to do it. Our priority in the face of shortage is staying close to Him, honoring Him with our yes, and trusting in His provision.
"For I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread." (Psalm 37:25 NIV)
I’ve shared this scripture several times in recent weeks, but I’m still feeling it. I’ve lived long enough to experience plenty and scarcity more than a few times but I’ve also known God to be faithful in all the seasons of my life. Perhaps living hand to mouth is a blessing in disguise? When we rely on Him for provision, God gets the glory.
Think again of the Israelites in their exodus. They spent 14,600 days in the desert, sustained by manna, a mystery they couldn’t quite comprehend. Jewish people have praised God for His passage, protection and provision amidst that arduous journey ever since. The wilderness season has become foundational in their faith. Similarly, when we face our own thin years, we stay near enough to experience His sustaining care. When we come out on the other side, we keep singing His praises.
"The eyes of all look to You, and give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." (Psalm 145:15-17 NIV)
Lord, we don’t like the lean years, but today we get a glimpse of the blessing just under the surface of scarcity. We see You rightly as our Provider. Help us to lean into You through thick and thing alike. Amen.