The Jar That Never Ran Out

Read

1 Kings 17:15-16 “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.”

Think

When you go to bed tonight, will you worry that the sun won't come up tomorrow?

Probably not! You've never had a morning when the sun just didn't show up. Every single day, it rises. Sometimes it hides behind clouds. But it's always there. You don't even think about it.

For the widow in Zarephath, her jar of flour became kind of like the sunrise. Let's find out how.

She made her choice. She went home and did exactly what Elijah said. She took her little bit of flour and oil, and she made bread for Elijah first.

Then she looked in the jar. There was still flour! She looked in the jug. There was still oil!

The next morning, she checked again. Still flour. Still oil. And the next day. And the next. And the next!

The Bible says there was food every day for Elijah, for the widow, and for her son. The jar never ran empty, and the jug never went dry, just like God promised.

Can you imagine being her son? Every morning you wake up and run to check the jar. “Mom! There's more!” Pretty soon it's not even a surprise anymore. Of course there's flour. God said there would be.

Notice how God provided. He didn't fill up the whole house with flour on the first day. He gave them what they needed, day by day. Each morning, they had enough. Each morning, they got to trust him again.

God often works that way with us too. He doesn't always show us the whole plan at once. He gives us what we need for today.

Jesus even taught us to pray about this. He said to ask God, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 NIV). That means we can ask God for what we need, one day at a time.

And tomorrow? He'll be there again. Just like the sunrise.

The widow shared her last handful, and God never let her run out. That is who God is. He is faithful. Faithful means he always keeps his promises.

God's got it, every single day.

Apply

Count today's gifts – Before bed tonight, think of three ways God gave you what you needed today. Maybe it was food, help with something hard, or a hug. Thank him for each one.

Pray

God, thank you for being faithful every single day. Thank you for giving me what I need. Help me trust you for today and for tomorrow. In Jesus' name. Amen.