All We Have Isn’t Enough

The widow of Zarephath had enough ingredients for one last loaf of bread when the prophet Elijah came to visit her. The Lord, through His prophet Elijah, asked her to sacrifice what little she had and the Lord would provide. To receive the blessing, she had to give up all she had first and have faith that the Lord would take over from there. Here’s the thing. She was in the middle of the famine. That one small loaf of bread she admits would not last her long and then she and her son would inevitably die. Sometimes we have so little, but we cling to it, knowing that it isn’t going to be enough to last, but afraid to let go because it seems like the only thing standing between us and destruction. Sometimes the Lord asks us to give up all we have because we need to give up on the idea that all we have is going to be enough. God is a God of abundance, but He can only bless us if we will let Him. Sometimes we’re like the widow of Zarephath, stuck in the middle of a famine with no end in sight and only one more piece of bread between us and starvation. How could we possibly give that up? It’s our last piece of bread. It may be our last piece of bread but the famine isn’t over yet and we’re going to need a lot more than one piece of bread. Better to give it up and trust in the Lord’s promises then cling to our own dwindling strength. Sometimes sacrificing all we have seems too great to bear, but giving up all we have is sometimes necessary in order to receive all that the Lord has.