Faithful with Much

The past few weeks, I've been thinking about faithfulness- and God's faithfulness modeled through families and individuals. The Lord has constantly been reminding me of His faithfulness during Lent- His perfect faithfulness to me by sacrificing His only son in my place. I don't understand it. 


God continues to show me His faithfulness through people here in Dalton- through the loving and fun staff at the church, through people who provide me a home to live in, to the families that I have meals with,  my list is endless. God is always revealing His character, His steadfast love, His unchanging heart and value for me though people and circumstances. I pray over and over for my eyes to be widened and heart to be watchful and attentive as the Lord reveals Himself to me through this community. 

When thinking about those who are faithful, my mind is always defers back to a story of Elijah . It's a neat passage about him traveling during a famine and a drought and God directing every move he makes.

God told Elijah to move east (which was a place outside of the "holy land") to a place Elijah was not familiar with, called Kerith Ravine. He went. God sent ravens to bring Elijah bread and meat while he was in this foreign place. God  had Elijah hidden, and Elijah was learning what it meant to literally be dependent upon the Lord. Elijah had absolutely nothing except for what the Lord was sending him. In a season of drought, he had to trust that God would keep the brook flowing for water so that he could live.

The command God gave to Elijah was to go to a city called Zarephath. This is a place where Baal was worshiped (obviously ineffectively in the midst of a drought). God told Elijah that a widow in the city would provide food for him. Elijah finds this woman in the city and eventually asks her if she could make him some bread. But, the woman doesn't think she has enough. Regardless of the amount she had, she went and and took the little bit of flour she had and made bread for Elijah. She was faithful with the little amount she had. And as she is faithful to Elijah's requests, God remains faithful. He provides more and exactly enough when the time is right. God also allows her to have enough to make bread for her household for many days.

(You'll have to continue to read in this chapter because Elijah performs a miracle in the name of the Lord that causes this woman to declare the word of the Lord as truth, and begin following Yahweh. )

This long beautiful story from the Old Testament shows us all what faithfulness looks like. A glimpse of a heart that is faithful regardless of  circumstances or location.

I want to have the faith to believe in God's goodness and provision like this woman. But, I doubt God, and rely too much on my "own knowledge" . I think it's because I'm too timid to say "Ok, God. Take me where you want." Because I know He definitely will. 

God is perfect in faithfulness. No being has ever or will ever be able to be as loyal, as steadfast, or as devoted as the Lord. Why do we doubt that He is anything but faithful? I've prayed often for my heart to look like the widows in Zarephath. Her role is so insignificant in the story of Elijah that she isn't even mentioned by name, but yet, her faith is a model I'm reminded of a lot. I pray that throughout my life as I try to model my life after Jesus Christ, my faithfulness to others and to God would look a little bit like the sweet widow in Zarephath.

If I am faithful with little, He is faithful with much.