Always Enough

The Widow at Zarephath

"Then the Lord said to Elijah, "Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you."

So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, "Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?" As she was going to get it, he called to her, "Bring me a bite of bread, too." 

But she said, "I swear but the Lord your God that I don't have a single piece of bread in the house. And I only have a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die."

But Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you've said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what's left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:

"There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers

until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!"

So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised. " (1 Kings 17, NLT)

I'll look at the rest of this story later, maybe tomorrow. But this story has been playing through my head over and over in the last few days. God first placed it in my mind after I found myself wishing that someday Kevin and I would have an abundance, enough money that we wouldn't have to ever worry about the future. And then I thought of the widow in this story. 

It doesn't say that suddenly she had many jars of olive oil, or that suddenly containers full of flour appeared. I imagine that she always had just enough oil and flour. 

I feel as though God is saying "Kelly, haven't you ALWAYS had enough?" Yes. We have always had enough. Sometimes the "enough" wasn't always ours, and came in the form of other people's gifts, but there was always enough. So, when I worry (as I have been doing a lot of lately) I have the assurance that there will be enough. God will make a way. Our future will be secure. We will find an apartment in time. We will always have enough.