18th February, 2022.

A LIFE SPONSORED BY GOD Pt.4

1Kings17: 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” 12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil(D) in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

HOW GOD SPONSORED THE WIDOW

The story of how God sponsored the widow of Zarephath during famine remains an unusual example about divine sponsorship. After the brooks dried, Elijah was instructed to go to the house of a widow. Obviously, God led him there to be provided for by the widow. This was during a severe famine that ravaged the land. Sometimes, I wonder why God didn't lead him to an influential or rich family. It sounded unfair to me that the only person God could think of was a struggling and poor widow who was about to eat her last meal and die. When Elijah demanded for food, listen to what she said: "As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil(D) in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die”. If Elijah was a prophet in our time, I'm sure he'll have bad press. The next headline you'll see is "Greedy Prophets Taking Advantage of Poor Widows". All internet news outlet will make this incident trend for weeks.

However, I perceive the woman was sensitive to know that it was God that spoke through the servant of the Lord, the bible says, "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. 16 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". This is the foolishness of God that is wiser than the wisdom of men at work. How can God demand for the last meal of a poor widow to give her continuous supply of food during famine? It doesn't make sense humanly but that's where God's wisdom supersede ours.

Sometimes, when God want to sponsor you, He may demand for something you hold dear not because He needs it but to test your heart to be sure you haven't become a slave to that thing. God hates when things become our master and Lord. He want to be our only Lord. There are people who have become slaves to money and material things. One can easily know this when they refuse to give it. You can't be praying to God for sponsorship when there are things you can't let go. It doesn't work that way. Most times, the Spirit of the Lord may be impressing on your heart to sacrifice a thing for the Lord but you're struggling to let go because you're thinking of how and where the next one will come. The good thing about this type of instruction is that the Holy Spirit will minister to you personally on this. Even if a demand comes through a servant of God, you will have a witness deep within about it. He who desires heaven's sponsorship must be ready to obey God's instruction ( not manipulation of men) to give sacrificially.