I am thinking of two widows mentioned in the Bible, one in 1Kings 17, the other in Luke 21. Many years passed between these widows, about 800, but their circumstances were much the same. They were women with no husbands to care for them. They had no financial security. They had no retirement plan. They had no state assistance. They were completely at the mercy of those around them and God.
Since there was a drought, the widow in Zarephath was on her own. She would have been a burden to her father's house. More mouths to feed! Having no other recourse, she turned to God because her god's had failed her. I think we can safely assume that she trusted Him for her very life. She had no choice!
It tells us in 1Kings that the widow was preparing, what she thought would be, the last meal for her and her son. Do you understand what this means? She had nothing! She had seen this day coming for a long time, yet she was not bitter and angry, because she had a relationship with God. We know this because God told Elijah, in 1Kings 17:9, that He had told a widow in Zarephath to provide for him. God had confidence that she would do as He said. He knew that she was completely available to His will, because she trusted God for her very life. Whether she lived or died was in God's hands! All else was stripped away. All else was trivial! She didn't worry about her clothes. She wasn't consumed with having her house clean. She didn't care if her hair was perfect or not! NO! Her concern was, would this be their last meal. Yet, when we read the scriptures, she really does not seem that concerned. She seems to have accepted her fate.
It reminds me of Queen Esther. Her heart was, "If I die; I die".
She was stripped of all else. She had no social standing! She had no money! She had no dignity, but she had God! She had mercy! She had peace!
Oh if we could be like her, but we hold tightly to things! We have our needs! We have our wants. We have our budgets and our schedules. These things consume our thoughts and our hearts. If God were to say to us, "Take your last meal and provide for a stranger's needs", would we do it? Would we with confidence prepare our last meal and give it away?
As I read 1Kings 17, I was struck with how she went about her business. Elijah did not find her weeping and wailing, holding tightly to her last meal. No, she was gathering wood to cook their last meal. Her words to Elijah were,
"As certainly as the Lord your God lives, I have no food, except for a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. Right now I am gathering a couple of sticks for a fire. Then I’m going home to make one final meal for my son and myself. After we have eaten that, we will die of starvation.”
Man, I have trouble trusting God for my rent sometimes!
There are so many lesson in this story, but another, that really struck me, was how calm she was! If that were me…. I would have been running from house to house begging crying, reasoning!
"We are going to die! Please help us!"
Not so with her! She was not placing her hope and trust in people! It was all God! If I die; I die! But the most amazing thing for me was that she gave her last meal to a stranger. She explained her circumstances; she listened as he reassured her, and then she obeyed God, even unto death! Not once does she place herself and her personal needs first!
My minds go back to my childhood. I was the youngest of 8 children, and money was scarce! Trying to feed us all was a struggle. My mom worked hard to make the food stretch to keep 5 boys and 3 girls fed, but not once did she ever turn a person away! I remember her saying, more than once,
"You can always add another potato to the stew."
We fed neighborhood kids, missionaries, strangers, and friends. My parents taught me that if you have a little and your neighbor has nothing, you share! That is the widow's mite! A strange as it seems, giving from nothing is often easier than given from a surplus! If you have nothing, your plans and goals and dreams can come from nothing but God!
Just so no one thinks I'm saying it's wrong to have a surplus, I will balance my thoughts here. It is great when God blesses us with a surplus, but is it God's or is it mine? Whether it be money, time, or other things we depend on in life, are we willing to give it to a stranger? Do we scurry around making sure that we have the comforts of life? Do we panic if plans fall through or life looks bleak? Do we hold tightly to what brings us comfort, saying we need this to survive? When someone calls with a need, do we offer our last meal? When others are in crisis, do we set aside our housework and listen? When our neighbor desperately needs a night out with her husband, do we cancel our plans and watch her children? Are we willing to set aside our busy schedule to be available to others? Do we put another potato in the stew? Does God have so much confidence in us that he can send someone in need to us, with the assurance that we will set aside our own needs to provide for theirs?
Oh this is my desire! I desire for God to confidently say, don't worry, I already talked to Jen and she will provide for you! I want Jesus to look up, like in Luke 21:2, and commend me! I want him to see my heart and know that I trust Him with my life.
I learned from the widows to hold onto nothing for myself. I want to be a Matthew 16:25 Christian.
"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it!"
