Daily Manna: Simply Obey

Monday 09, December 2013

TEXT: 1 KINGS 17:8-16

KEY VERSE: “And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days” (1 Kings 17:13,15).

A father, one day, approached his young son who was eating a piece of cake which he had earlier given to him and requested him to share same with him. Strangely, the son refused bluntly. Unknown to him, the father had some honey in a jar which he kept out of view but intended to give to him had he obliged. He missed out the better and more profitable alternative because he was not prepared to part with what he had. How we miss better things when we refuse to share our modest blessings with others.

The widow in our text is, however, wiser than the above mentioned lad. God had instructed Elijah, on account of the draught in the land of Israel, to go to Zarephath and dwell there for he had commanded a widow there to sustain him. Elijah obeyed God and went. Yet, the woman had only a quantum of raw food which she hoped to prepare for herself and her only son to eat after which she believed that death would ensue. Notwithstanding, Elijah asked her to go and prepare some for him first. As she obliged, the man of God gave her the promise of God’s unending supply. The woman promptly obeyed. Consequently, she and her house were plunged into the riches of God.

Two reasons account for why people fail to appropriate the riches of God today: their refusal to obey God and unreadiness to let go for God that which they possess. The natural man would count it unreasonable to share the little (and the last) quantum of possession that he has with another when there is no sure way of getting a replacement. But the woman in our text took Elijah at his word and did his bidding. In the same vein, God wants us to take Him at His word and do His bidding at all times. No matter how critical our situation may be, the solution to our problem all the time is absolute obedience to God despite the prevailing odds.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: No one trades with God and loses.

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