The Jar Is Always Half-full

The Jar Is Always Half-Full

Bible Blast: Read 1 Kings 17:8-16

There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the LORD had promised through Elijah. 1 Kings 17:16

The widow of Zarephath and her son were almost starved to death when they met Elijah. There was just one meal’s worth of flour and oil to cook. Then came Elijah, asking the widow to give him some of their last meal. When she explained their desperate situation, he told her not to worry because God would keep filling her jars with flour and oil—and not just for one meal but until the rain came and the crops grew again. The widow decided to believe Elijah, and she fed him. The next morning, she went to her cupboard, looked in her jars, and saw more flour and oil. It was a miracle. God had blessed the widow for giving even when she felt she had nothing to give.

I was on a ministry trip in South America with teen magazine editor Susie Shellenberger a few years ago. Some teenagers on that trip decided to give their peanut butter sandwiches away in a village with dozens and dozens of children. The teenagers didn’t have dozens and dozens of peanut butter sandwiches. It took faith to give them away and trust God. They were risking a riot if they ran out. Do you know that dozens and dozens of starving little Spanish-speaking children ate and ate and ate, and the teens never ran out until the last child’s face was smeared with jelly?

I’m convinced it’s always a good idea to give to someone in need, even if you don’t feel like you have much—or enough—to offer. A hungry person would be so grateful for a peanut butter sandwich. It’s not really our job to supply the need. It’s our job to see the need and respond.