How God Provides In A Drought Series

Now lastly, look at how God used them to solve their mutual problems… The 5th instruction that God gave Elijah to end his drought…

5. LEND what you have left to God

READ vs. 13Sounds almost selfish doesn’t it? Here’s Elijah asking this poor widow to go and make a cake for himself first and then one for her and the boy?But what we don’t understand is that Elijah was standing before her as God’s representative and telling her to put God first. In the same way, I believe I stand before you as God’s representative when I say… If you want to see God’s provision in your drought… put Him first in every area of your life… physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially.It’s the same principle that Jesus gave is when He said in Mt. 6:33 (READ)In miracle after miracle in the bible... God obligated the indiv., or the group to take a step of faith, to take some kind of risk, to take some ACTION.... before the need was met.

In the story of the parting of the Red Sea. Moses had to stretch out His hand over the ocean before it parted. Before the walls of Jericho fell, people had to walk around the city for 7 days! In II Kings, before Naman the Leper was healed of leprosy, Elijah required him to wash 7x’s in the Jordan River. Jesus required a blind man to wash out the mud he had put on his eyes in the Pool of Siloam before he could see again.

Why does God require these kind of actions from us? To embarrass us? To make us feel silly? To get a good laugh at our expense?NO! He requires us to take action so we can participate by our "steps of faith" in the solution to our own problems. Believe it or not, God will never solve your problems and meet your desperate needs until He gets your commit. of faith.... your involvement in the prob.We think of what the widow had to give, but we forget that Elijah had to give too! You say what did He give? Remember, He was in the same boat as this woman, (out of food and water)! But He gave this woman hope and faith! Listen… if instead of despairing, if you’ll learn to give to out of your need…

If you’ll learn to…

1.Give help when you’re helpless.

2.Give hope when you’re hopeless

3.Give faith when you’re faithless

God will give you an inexhaustible supply of all 3!We’re calling this series, "Gaining Courage to Make a Difference", and if you want to make a difference in people’s lifes like Elijah made a difference in this womans life… Learning how to give out of your need is basic training!Because this widow gave out of her need, she met God in the kitchen 3x’s a day! 3x’s a day she looked in the flour barrel and found flour. 3x’s a day she looked in the jar and found oil.I can almost hear her singing…"Praise God from whom all biscuits flow!"

Now this doesn’t mean that she had everything she wanted, (she wasn’t eating filet mignot), but she did have everything she needed. See… when you’ve come to the end of your resources and God comes through in a miraculous way… you’re more than satisfied!Now in case you haven’t noticed, this same miracle is repeated 100’s of years later in the feeding of the 5000. When Jesus did it, a little boy was called upon to donate his small lunch.