Daily Bread

I was once again caught up by the story of the widow of Zaraphath (I Kings 17) and the NT reading which spoke of Jesus' first miracle at the wedding when he turns water into wine. A couple of creation miracles which spurred me into thinking about the Lord's Prayer.

Before I get too engrossed in things, here's a look at the widow's story:

"Then the word of the Lord came to him, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah."

Here we have a woman who has so little that once the final meal is done, all that awaits her and her son is starvation and death. But 'according to the word spoken by Elijah', this did not happen. The oil and flour continued to be there for them and they lived 'until the rains came' (which I have assumed means that stuff grows and fruits ripen and so other food will be available).

People recite the Lord's Prayer without, it seems to me, taking onboard the words relating to the giving of our daily bread. If I had a pound for every person I've met who has told me that they 'live by faith' when what they mean is that they are well-paid and comfortable, I'd have more than a pound!

Every day God provides for us, but we lose that provision in the comfort our our employment and earnings, or perhaps unemployment and our benefits. It is too easy for us to fail to see God's provisions because we provide for ourselves.

It is easy to trust God when we have an income, an assured job, education, a supportive family and the like, but behind all the facades, when the smoke clears - if we stop, think and pray - we will find God's hand on our lives.

Pax