My cupboards usually reflect God’s provision for our lives, even my laundry cupboard, but lately my supply of chlorine-free bleach was being depleted, and since Sam’s was in the process of moving, or hoping to move, the warehouse was not restocking adequately. End result at my house was that each time I poured from the huge container I was in the custom of buying, I wondered if I would run out completely. I had hesitated purchasing the bleach from my local supermarket because of the increased cost, but I was beginning to feel an urgency that would have paid any price. Jotting "laundry bleach" down on my grocery list, I waited for shopping day, and continued washing clothes as usual. And my huge container that was nearing "empty," continued to pour out chlorine-free bleach. I felt somewhat like the widow of Zarephath who only had a handful of flour in her jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of her jug, and God brought her another mouth to feed. The widow was about to prepare one final meal for herself and her young son before she would yield to the famine that was closing in on her home. Elijah comes to her not only hungry, but full of promises. Elijah’s words though were God’s words, and the widow’s flour and oil poured out over and over again to sustain the widow, her son, and Elijah, just as God had promised.
With my almost-empty chlorine-free bleach container, I not only thought of the widow, but each time I put bleach in my washing machine, I was reminded very vividly of God’s continuing provision in our lives. He gives and He gives and He gives. For every need. In abundance. More than the need demands. Oh, I know the need sometimes persists with the greatest of tenacity, but my God is still there. And God knows my need better than I do, and He gives more profusely, more persistently, more stubbornly, more intentionally, than I can even imagine. Recently I was struggling again to accept a death that came too soon. My emotions and feelings were crying out, "Why?," and my faith wanted desperately to sense it was firmly grounded. As with the psalmist, David, my soul was thirsting for God, but I knew I could say, as David also said, "You are my helper. I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely." And as God met my need, I could echo, "Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy."
– Bev
(Related Bible reading: 1 Kings 17:2-16)
