John 10:6-10; Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

Access to life with God only comes through Jesus. If you think you’ve found another way in, you’re mistaken because Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  The wolf’s job is to steal sheep and he’ll try to get to them anyway he can, but Jesus protects his sheep. His plan is to have relationship with us so that we know his voice intimately and will know how he speaks and when he speaks. We should be able to differentiate between those voices, but the only way to do that is to know the Word of God. Then we can confidently say, “It is written!” just as Jesus did when he faced satan in the wilderness.

You see, knowing the truth of the Word sets you at an advantage. John 8:32 says that you will know the truth and it will make you free. With confident assurance, Jesus quoted the context of Gods Word back to the devil when he tried to tempt him. How did he know the Word, he studied and meditated on the Word. He had fellowship with the Father. He set an example for us to follow so that we would know how to also overcome the enemy.

The devil is sly and crafty, but we have an advantage because we know Jesus. He came so that we could have abundant, over-the-top, extravagant, supernatural life. Life lived in the fullness of God, the fullness of his peace and provision, his grace and his love. How wonderful is that?! He said he would care for us. I remember another verse where he said to cast all your cares on him so he could care for you. Your children don’t worry! They know you will feed and clothe them and put a roof over their heads. They don’t worry and neither should we.

Father, thank you for caring for the small things and the large things, the long haul and the short haul. What a wonderful Father you are. There is just no one or nothing that can compare with your faithfulness to us. Every morning I rise up and thank you for another day to serve you, to love you, to speak to you. I look forward to the surprises you’ve set up for me today. Amazing! Astounding! I magnify your matchless name! Every care, every worry, every unknown, every heavy burden, I lay it at your feet this morning knowing that I can trust you to take care of it for me. It’s in Jesus’ Name I thank you. Amen

Psalm 91:11 NKJV; For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.

Psalm 103:20 ESV; Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!

These verses have been on my mind a lot lately. I’ve never thought very much about angels, but lately God has been telling me the importance of them and what they listen for. Angels have been assigned to protect us, it says so in Psalm 91. Some would argue that this verse is talking about Jesus, but in Psalm 34:7 it says, The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Although we don’t worship angels, we still pray to the Father and worship the Father, God has been showing me how things work in the Spirit realm.

I used to sing a song to my girls and grandchildren, “They’re all around me, above me, beneath me they’re all about me, my Fathers angels they protect me, everyday.” Also the other song, “All day, all night, angels watching over me, my Lord. All day, all night, angels watching over me.” My oldest granddaughter used to keep looping it over and over until I finally had to change to another song.

But the part I want to point out today is from Psalm 103:20b; “you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!” Who gives voice to the Word of God? We do! Angels are on assignment to keep the Word of God that we speak. If we don’t speak the Word over our lives, our families, our finances, our bodies, we don’t get anything. WHAT? Yes, you heard me right. We must give voice to the Word of God in us. The angels are waiting on us. They’re waiting for us to speak the promises of God and not be all wishy washy. II Corinthians 1:20 ERv says, “The yes to all of God’s promises is in Christ. And that is why we say “Amen” through Christ to the glory of God.” Amen is declaring agreement with what God says.

James talks about a man who wavers in his words won’t get anything from God. We need to find the promise of God in His Word, speak that Word, stand fast on that Word, unwavering. We need to give our angels an assignment. We don’t have to speak to them directly, they are already listening to your words, hoping you’ll finally get it and begin declaring what the Word says instead of what you’re feeling at this particular moment. Can I get a witness in here?

Saturday, I heard the Lord speak to me about this and I’ve just been stewing on it. He asked me what teachers do when they give an assignment? They give a due date. He spoke to me to put a due date on the assignment I give my angels. So I sent forth the Word of God and put an end date on it. Monday, Walts truck broke down. I said, God, I thank you that because I bring in the tithe to your storehouse, you open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing I don’t have room for. I still have room! According to your Word, you have to take care of this. Tuesday my boss told me that since it’s been awhile since I’ve had a raise or bonus, he would cover the repairs on the truck. Look at God!

True to the Word, satan comes immediately to try to steal the Word from our heart, but when the truth is in you, you’ve meditated on it, you’ve tried it and found God to be faithful, if you don’t doubt in your heart but believe that those things you say WILL come to pass, you will have it. Praise the Lord!

Father, help me to be constantly aware of your faithfulness to your Word. You watch over the Word to perform it.  Nothing is impossible for you. Every morning I will rise and thank you for your promises. Every evening I will lay down to rest, thanking you for your goodness. In the good times and the bad times, I will worship you with all of my heart. Your praise will always be on my lips. Today, may I keep your angels so busy going after the promises I’m speaking that they need to call for reinforcements. It’s in the name of your wonderful son, Jesus. Amen!

I Chronicles 4:9-10; Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”  And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.

Such a short sweet story! Who doesn’t love any story of a simple man who becomes wealthy, but look at this; The phrase “Because I bore him in pain” Literally translates, He Will Cause Pain. Come on now, what kind of mother prophesies that over her son? I can’t say people haven’t called me a pain, but to have to carry it as a name? That’s heavy! But the coolest part of this story is the fact that Jabez didn’t allow his name to determine his destiny. He called out to God for blessing, enlargement and that His hand would be upon him, that He would keep him from evil and the very best part, “that I may not cause pain!”

A name determined the future of a child in those days. Actually, names are still important, it’s just that many don’t see it that way. God changed Abrams name to Abraham (Father of many nations) because he wanted him to see himself as just that. So to be stuck with the name “He will cause pain”, would have been a very difficult thing to overcome. Yet he didn’t ask God to change his name, but to enlarge him, bless him, keep him. To me, this speaks of trust in God. Trust that regardless of the name he was stuck with, God could still determine his future.

Look what happened when Solomon asked for wisdom in 2 Chronicles 1:11; Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king—”

And God did what Jabez requested. God gave him a future, a hope, he blessed him simply because he asked. So today, I encourage you to ask largely! Ask because He’s your Father and loves you. Ask so that you may be filled with joy. Ask so that you can give more, do more, love more. Ask for wisdom, favor and courage. Ask for protection. Ask for wealth, not so you can show it off, but so that you can use it to build the Kingdom, reach the lost, make disciples.

Oh Father, I’m asking for so much today. For your favor to rest on me with my employer, for my husband to be blessed financially, physically, spiritually and emotionally. For my children and grandchildren to be blessed wherever they go and whatever they do. That you would bless me indeed, enlarge my territory, keep me from evil and don’t let me be a pain to anyone. I love you Lord and I desire to be a blessing to others. I simply trust in your outstretched hand. I will hold on regardless of what I see or feel for I know you have a future and hope for me. In Jesus’ Name I ask this, Amen.

Have you ever had a dream that seemed too big to attain? Have you ever hoped for something that realistically could never happen? Did you know that God wants us to do dream big? Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, “I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the Lord. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will search for me, and when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me.”

God isn’t hiding himself from you. He wants you to search for him and find him. Just like playing hide-and-seek with your children, you want to hide but not so they can’t find you. You don’t want them to become fearful, you want to hear them laugh as they find you. So does God. He loves to bless us because he loves to hear us rejoice. The more impossible the situation, the greater the rejoicing. Don’t believe me? Have you ever been diagnosed with something there was no known cure for, then been healed by the hand of God? Ever had a desperate need for food in your cupboard after losing your job, only to have strangers show up with a trunk full of groceries? We have.

But Sandy, you don’t know what we’re facing right now! God does. He’s the same God who delivered his people from Egypt with more than enough to sustain them for 40 years. He’s the same God who multiplied the loaves of bread and fish to feed a massive crowd. Who specializes in impossible things? Who promised to never leave or forsake us? Who else but God.

Hebrews 10:35 NLT says, “So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!” You can’t afford to give up now, hang on! His plans are GOOD plans. He has a good future planned for you. You can trust him! I hear you saying, “God has let me down! I trusted him and he didn’t come through!” Please don’t mistake your plans for Gods plans. God doesn’t think like you, he’s bigger than that. If you could climb into Gods mind for one moment, you’d lose yours. His ways are higher than your ways. HELLO! He created the whole universe, set the stars in place, placed you in the middle of it all and gave you an assignment. You can’t even get your assignment right and you’re belly aching about God not doing what you want him to do?!?!?! Can you see how self absorbed that is?

Here’s how God does things; If you’re hurt, find someone else who is hurting and encourage them. While you’re doing that, your own hurt will go away. If you’re hungry, take what little you have in your cupboard and make a meal for the prophet (or man of God). While you’re doing that, God is filling up your pantry. If your truck breaks down, find someone who is having car problems and help them in any way you can, then watch God bring you a new truck.

You just can’t out give God. You can try, but you just can’t do it. Be a giver today and watch as doors begin to open. You’ll get more bargains at the store than ever before. You’ll find your expenses going down, you’ll get better gas mileage on your car, your food will last longer. Things that look impossible, simply not impossible for God. That’s what God wants us to do; trust him.

Father, it’s so easy to get my stomach in a knot, worrying over this, that and the other thing, but you told me not to worry. You said to cast all of my cares on you because you care for me. Thank you! Thank you for this reminder. I wouldn’t want to be on this journey of life with any other navigator than you. You have my best interest in mind. Even when I don’t see the bridge is out, you do. Even when I feel alone, like you’ve hidden too well from me, you’re there in plain sight, I’ve just been looking with the wrong eyes. II Chronicles 6:40; “O my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to all the prayers made to you in this place.” It’s in Jesus’ Name we ask, Amen.

Deuteronomy 28:12-14; The Lord will open his storehouse where he keeps his rich blessings. He will send rain at the right time for your land. He will bless everything you do. You will have money to lend to many nations. And you will not need to borrow anything from them.  The Lord will make you be like the head, not the tail. You will be on top, not on the bottom. This will happen if you listen to the commands of the Lord your God that I tell you today. You must carefully obey these commands.  You must not turn away from any of the teachings that I give you today. You must not turn away to the right or to the left. You must not follow other gods to serve them.

Have you ever noticed that each time God promises blessing, there is always ‘our part’? An ‘if you will do’ kind of stipulation? As I looked at this wonderful promise of blessing which actually begins in verse 1, I noticed a very key phrase that ran through the whole blessing; obedience. You don’t have to do good to get good, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about obeying the voice of God.

It seems that our relationship with God has become very ‘one way’ and that’s ‘our way’.  We expect God to perform for us, bless us when we need something, heal us when we’re hurting, but we don’t want to listen and obey. We want the goods without paying the price. Don’t bother us, God, we’re too busy! We think that Jesus paid it all so we can just live the good life and do what we want, spending as much as we want and not have to do anything. That’s entitlement mentality! We’ve adapted the world way of thinking. Jesus did pay it all and because of that price he paid, I owe him my very life. Obedience to what He asks of me is the very least I can do for him.

How sad that we treat Jesus’ sacrifice as ‘that was nice’ and move on to our own agenda. We think that getting married and raising a family is for OUR benefit, it’s not. It’s to raise up disciples of Christ to go make more disciples. We think that having a job is to take care of us and our family, it’s not. God gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater, but his goal in giving us a job is for others; HE wants to provide for us. The place you work is your mission field not your social field. As the Remnant bride of Christ, we are to make ourselves ready for our Groom by learning his voice and submitting to his voice. 

John 14:3, Jesus says; “After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back. Then I will take you with me, so that you can be where I am.” He’s coming! Are you ready? Back in 1965, The Impressions did a song entitled, “People Get Ready”. It went like this:

So people, get ready. Jesus is coming.
Soon we’ll be going home.
People get ready
Jesus is coming to take from the world his own.

My dear friend, if he’s preparing a place for us and He’s coming soon, we need to get ourselves cleaned up and ready. We need to learn to listen and obey so that we can hear him when he calls us home. 

Father, my heart is set on obeying your voice, not just when it’s easy, but when it’s hard. I need to trust that you know what you’re doing and I don’t. That I can only see a little distance when you can see my future. I submit and surrender to your plans for me without complaint. I won’t be a disgruntled employee but a faithful daughter that you find pleasure in. I commit my way to you because I’m assured of your great love for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Psalm 73 MSG;  No doubt about it! God is good—good to good people, good to the good-hearted. But I nearly missed it, missed seeing his goodness. I was looking the other way, looking up to the people at the top, envying the wicked who have it made, Who have nothing to worry about, not a care in the whole wide world.  Pretentious with arrogance, they wear the latest fashions in violence, pampered and overfed, decked out in silk bows of silliness. They jeer, using words to kill; they bully their way with words. They’re full of hot air, loudmouths disturbing the peace. People actually listen to them—can you believe it? Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words.  What’s going on here? Is God out to lunch? Nobody’s tending the store. The wicked get by with everything; they have it made, piling up riches. I’ve been stupid to play by the rules; what has it gotten me? A long run of bad luck, that’s what—a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.  If I’d have given in and talked like this, I would have betrayed your dear children. Still, when I tried to figure it out, all I got was a splitting headache . . .Until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I saw the whole picture: The slippery road you’ve put them on, with a final crash in a ditch of delusions. In the blink of an eye, disaster! A blind curve in the dark, and—nightmare! We wake up and rub our eyes. . . . Nothing. There’s nothing to them. And there never was.  When I was beleaguered and bitter, totally consumed by envy, I was totally ignorant, a dumb ox in your very presence. I’m still in your presence, but you’ve taken my hand. You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then you bless me. You’re all I want in heaven! You’re all I want on earth! When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, God is rock-firm and faithful. Look! Those who left you are falling apart! Deserters, they’ll never be heard from again. But I’m in the very presence of God—oh, how refreshing it is! I’ve made Lord God my home. God, I’m telling the world what you do!

Well, that was long, wasn’t it? But so worth the read! I love listening to David be real with God. Although he was king, although he was ‘man after God’s own heart’, he still struggled with the same things as we do. I don’t know about you, but there have been times in my walk with the Lord that I wondered the same things. Why are the wicked so successful? Why does everyone listen to them? Why do people so readily turn from God to pursue the almighty dollar? Why do they appear successful in everything they do? It just doesn’t seem right or fair, does it! 

As I lay in bed at 3:00 am, struggling to go back to sleep for another 2 hours, I just decided to turn my attention onto God. Part of a song I’ve been listening to began to play in my head as if the Lord was speaking, “You don’t have to do a thing, simply be with me and wait on me a little longer. I’m in love with you.” So I began to declare my love for Him, my answer, my beautiful King. For an hour I became consumed with finding words to describe the faithfulness of my God, to honor him with my time as I snuggled under the blankets. Soon I found myself unable to contain the overwhelming presence I felt. The more I gave, the more I got. I washed his feet with my tears and felt his tender touch on my senses as if there was no distinction between spirit and flesh.

I never did fall back to sleep, but how refreshed I felt when I climbed out of bed at 4:00. I folded my laundry, ironed some clothes, cleaned up my kitchen and put the clutter away, all while meditating on the sweet love of God. Things change when you focus on the Lord. Your perspective of the wicked, the problems that overwhelmed you yesterday, the buried hurts of your past, gone. Just as our sins were washed away by the blood of the lamb, so our cares are no longer there. They’re now carried by Him, it’s what he’s been waiting for. The exchange was made when I lay in bed, worshipping and loving on Jesus.

Father, “There’s no place I’d rather be! No place I’d rather be! No place I’d rather be, then here in your arms, here in your arms!” My mighty fortress, my tender forgiver, my avenger, my gentle lover, my strong tower, my shepherd, my King, my friend. You always hear me! You never turn a deaf ear to me, ever! What a wonderful confidant. You keep all my moments with you locked up in your treasure chest until they become shiny gems, then you shower me with blessings until my heart is bursting with joy unspeakable. When I sleep, you watch over me. When I awake, you sit on my bed and wait patiently for me to speak of my love to you. You are a perfect husband and all I need comes from you. Thank You, Lord. Until tomorrow then.

I Corinthians 12:12-13 MSG; We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!  But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Have you ever felt like your life was a massive fog cloud and you couldn’t see what’s ahead? I have. The fog is so dense that you have to put your hand out in front of you so you don’t walk into a tree. Like trying to navigate through a forest at night before the stars come out. The unseen causes your senses to be heightened, every sound and smell exaggerated. With everything in you, you long for a clearing, a light, anything to draw you back to safety. It’s at that moment I’ve learned to depend on the Spirit of God to lead me and guide me. It’s when I pause, shut out the noise and listen to His voice that I get clear direction. 

“Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.”

Father, I think I trust you, but perhaps I don’t know what trust is. Maybe I’ve trusted in myself too long, depended on my own abilities to navigate my life. Forgive me. I don’t know the way. It’s as if my GPS is broken, not syncing right. It tells me I’m on the right course but your Spirit tells me differently. Please bring me back on the right path. I want to be blind as a bat, because when your spirit guides me, I’ll never run into anything.

Father, my hope is in your Word. My hope is in knowing that what you’ve promised will come to pass in YOUR time, not mine. I won’t allow my hope to be derailed or deferred to something in this world. I won’t hope in money or mans wisdom, but in you.

Father, let me love extravagantly. I don’t think I do that, not always, not well. I’m sorry for not loving everyone, all the time. I sometimes forget how much you loved me, I’m sure I do, for if I always remembered, I would freely love all those you place in my path and I don’t. I have no right to judge their motives or their lives before I offer them your love. You loved me at my worst, when I hated you for taking my dad when I was young. When I lay angry in my bed, when my boss said what he did, when I raised my voice against accusations. 

Funny thing is, I can’t love like you, without letting go of all that is in my arms so I can embrace you. Father, you ARE love and to find love, I must lay it down and enter you. I must lay down my right to be hurt so that I can heal. I must trust more in your ways and let go of mine. I can say, ‘I love you’, but the words are empty unless I reflect it to the world. I’m letting go, Lord. Clean me so that I reflect the purity of your love in thought, word and deed today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Matthew 7:24-27 MSG  “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

 “But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”

Wow! Nothing like a different translation to bring it home! There comes a point in everyones life when we stop hearing and start doing. We can attend church every time the doors are opened, listen to cd’s, dvd’s, podcasts, pray in the Spirit for 2 hours a day, all of these things are nothing unless you apply the Word you hear. There comes a time when you must pick up your tool belt, put it on and use it.

I used to make my own bread and one thing I learned is that you must work the yeast into the bread. Kneading is an important part of the process and you do it until the dough looks right. After that, you let it rest until it rises, punch it down, divide it and place it in two pans, cover it, set it in a warm place and let it rise till doubled, then bake it. You enjoy the bread AFTER it’s baked. We as Christians want the blessings without working the Word and using our faith over and over until we see what we’re believing for come to pass. Stop taking a pill each time you have a pain and start standing on the Word of God for your healing. You have to work your faith, not just once, but you have to keep working it.

That’s why the Word tells us to give first. Give and it will be given. Jesus also said that whatever you use to give it out with is what will be used to return it to you. If you give spoon sized offerings, expect spoon sized blessings. If you give using a bucket, expect bucket sized blessings. But my friend, if you use a dump truck, watch out now, do you hear the ‘beep beep beep’, that means your blessings getting ready to dump on you. Ha! You just can’t out give God, but don’t expect a harvest where you’ve not planted seed.

It’s time we took the Word of God seriously and build on the Rock. His Word is a sure foundation, a mighty fortress, it’s active, powerful and it’s working in me. I’m not just going to write about the Word, I’m going to knead it until I see it rise up and do what it’s meant to do. It’s meant to change me, change you and change the world around us. It’s meant to heal the sick and broken, bring hope and help to those discouraged and lost. It won’t work until we give it away. Whatever you’re in need of, find someone who has that need and seed into them. Then be thankful, asking the Lord to watch over your seed and bless it. He is faithful! 

Ephesians 3:20 MSG God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. AMEN!

Matthew 18:1-5 ERV; About that time the followers came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in God’s kingdom?” Jesus called a little child to come to him. He stood the child in front of the followers.  Then he said, “The truth is, you must change your thinking and become like little children. If you don’t do this, you will never enter God’s kingdom. The greatest person in God’s kingdom is the one who makes himself humble like this child. “Whoever accepts a little child like this in my name is accepting me.”

The word, humble comes from the Latin word, humilis lowly, insignificant, on the ground. I believe the reason Jesus used children as examples of humility is because they’re often overlooked as insignificant or lowly. In all actuality, children are our future leaders and workers, our caretakers and teachers. What we pour into our children will determine what they will become. 

I love reading to children, watching their faces as the story unfolds. The eagerness in their eyes make it so worth while. “Then what happens?” or “Read it again!” were common words at our house. I helped instill a love for reading in both of our girls because I knew that was the key to knowledge and wisdom would follow. But I didn’t stop there. I taught them to love the Lord, to sing to the Lord and praise His Name. To love and care for others, to place more value on them then yourself. I picture Jesus teaching the children and spending special time with each one of them, helping them to see who they are in Him.

Father, we come to you as a child, humbly, knowing that we are merely your servants doing your bidding. Help us to love others without expectations. To remind them of their value. To love them into the Kingdom. As the song goes, “Wide eyed and mystified, may we be just like a child, staring at the beauty of our King. May we never lose our wonder.” Fill us with the wonder of your grace and mercy. Oh how you love us and oh how we love you. I’m in awe of you, Lord. All that your hand has created leaves me feeling so small in the vastness of it all. Yet here I am and here you are, loved and loving, an unbroken circle. It’s from this lowly place that I lift my hands in surrender. Today, I will be yours. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

I Kings 17:2-16, 

Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Leave this place and go east. Hide near Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan River. You can get your water from that stream, and I have commanded ravens to bring food to you there.” So Elijah did what the Lord told him to do. He went to live near Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan River.  Ravens brought Elijah food every morning and every evening, and he drank water from the stream. There was no rain, so after a while the stream became dry. Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go to Zarephath in Sidon and stay there. There is a widow there that I commanded to take care of you.”  So Elijah went to Zarephath. He went to the town gate and saw a woman there gathering wood for a fire. She was a widow. Elijah said to her, “Would you bring me a small cup of water to drink?” ¹¹ As she was going to get the water, Elijah said, “Bring me a piece of bread too, please.” The woman answered, “I promise you, before the Lord your God, that I have nothing but a handful of flour in a jar and a little bit of olive oil in a jug. I came here to gather a few pieces of wood for a fire to cook our last meal. My son and I will eat it and then die from hunger.” Elijah said to the woman, “Don’t worry. Go home and cook your food as you said. But first make a small piece of bread from the flour that you have and bring it to me. Then cook some for yourself and your son. The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘That jar of flour will never be empty and the jug will always have oil in it. This will continue until the day the Lord sends rain to the land.’”  So the woman went home and did what Elijah told her to do. And Elijah, the woman, and her son had enough food for a long time. The jar of flour and the jug of oil were never empty. This happened just as the Lord said through Elijah.

I love how God is such a great strategic planner. Not only did he care for Elijah, but in his divine strategy, he cared for the widow woman and her son as well. Sometimes when we’re going through something, it’s hard to see the end of it because we live in this realm called ‘time’. It’s our faith we must draw from to enable us to see the end of what we’re in the middle of. Regardless of the obstacle, God knows the way around it.

Hebrews 11:1-2 MSG says, “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.”

I imagine this woman gathering sticks, praying for a miracle, asking God to save her and her son. Perhaps she was hoping to win the lotto or for some rich handsome man to offer to marry her. She surely didn’t expect for a man to ask her for her remaining supply! Can you imagine? You see, she saw her remaining oil and flour differently than God did. He saw it as an offering to the prophet and a seed toward a far greater supply, one that would sustain them all through the drought.  She didn’t expect the way her answer came.  

Father, we need to view our seed differently. It’s not about what we have but our obedience with it. Whether it’s little or much, in your hands, it becomes sufficient, not just for us, but for others as well. You have a greater purpose for our lives than what we see in our own future and I know you’re preparing us for that now. We surrender to your will, not ours. We open our ears to your voice and our hearts to your will in Jesus’ name. Amen