Why Would God Ask This?
It Felt Practical, Reasonable, and Right
Have you heard this before? “If you don’t give when you have little, you will not give when you have more. The first time I heard it, it didn’t make much sense to me. If anything, it raised more questions than answers. Does God not know my circumstances? I have bills to pay, rent to take care of, Or loans to close. There are real responsibilities that I carry and if He knows everything, wouldn’t He understand that I need to take care of these things first?
It felt practical, I felt reasonable and it felt right.
As I was reading 1 Kings chapter 17, the story of Elijah and the widow brought me back to this exact thought. Here is a widow who is about to die along with her son and yet, she makes a decision to serve Elijah first. The question that kept running in my mind was simple.
Why?
God Moves Beyond What We Expect
We all know the story. Elijah speaks against Ahab and is first led to the brook Cherith, where God sustains him. When the brook beings to dry up, then God sends him to Zarephath and says, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you. When Elijah arrives, he meets her gathering sticks and asks her for water, and then for bread. Her response is honest. I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar… that we may eat it, and die.
in fact, Jesus Himself refers back to this story in Luke 4 where the people in Nazareth rejected Him.
Let me pause here. Have you realised God has a way of moving beyond what we expect, especially when things are not aligned where they should be. He just doesn’t pause his work but finds another way and moves on. When Israel turns away, God does not limit Himself but He moves, even if it means stepping outside. In this case, to Zarephath and to a widow.
That Word “First” Stayed With Me
And then comes Elijah’s response, do not fear… but make me a small cake from it first.
That word “first” stayed with me, because it is not coming from abundance but from lack and yet she responds. Not because she has enough but because of the word that is spoken to her by God and she chooses trust.
And that is where the story begins to shift, because of her trust, the bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry. And maybe that is what I began to see, this is not just about giving but about responding when it does not make sense.
God Does Not Just Meet Our Needs
But the story does not end there.
Her son becomes sick and then he dies. Yet once again, the question rises. Why now?The same God who provided now allows this? And in that moment, something deeper comes out of her. She says, man of God, have you come to bring my sin to remembrance?
It is interesting how, in moments like this, the heart begins to speak, not because God declared it but because something within her rises to the surface.
What began as provision for her survival now becomes something deeper. Through God’s grace the child is restored and perhaps that is what I am beginning to understand.
God does not just meet our needs, He also reveals what is within us.
Sometimes He provides.
Sometimes He exposes.
Sometimes He restores.
And all of it is part of the same journey.
Based on What I See, or Based on Who He Is?
As I sat with this passage, one question stayed with me. When God speaks into my situation, especially when it does not make sense…
Do I respond based on what I see? Or based on who He is?
Because maybe the real question is not, “Does God know my circumstances?”
But, “Am I willing to trust Him in them?”
If this reflection blessed you, walk with me.
Every prayer, share, and act of support is deeply appreciated.
