“The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.” (1 Kings 17:14) This biblical phrase always fascinates me. It comes from the story of Elijah, who, as he met a widow at the entrance of the city of Zarephath, asked her for a cup of water to drink. As the widow was leaving to get it, Elijah called out, asking her for a bit of bread. She responded, saying, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar and a little oil in my jug. Just now, I was collecting a couple of sticks to prepare something for myself and my son; when we have eaten it, we shall die.” Elijah then calmed her fears by assuring her of God’s providence, stating that she and her son would not go hungry. The poor widow believed Elijah’s words and provided him with water and bread, and as the story goes, she was able to eat for a year, along with her son.
This poignant story teaches us a valuable lesson about faith. We must have complete faith in God’s providence and believe in the encouraging words of our loved ones, friends, spiritual leaders, and others. God will provide for all our needs; we just need to let go of our fears and place our full trust in Him. He uses others to alleviate our fears and anxieties and to help us trust firmly in His benevolence, as they have experienced and witnessed it themselves.
Our Lord Jesus consistently taught about the importance of believing in God’s providence. In His Sermon on the Mount, He shared this message: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26-27). In this Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 12:38-44), He summoned His disciples to observe the poor widow who put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury: “For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”
To trust in God’s providence is not easy; it is a real challenge. But once you reflect and acknowledge how true it has been in your life, you will gain the strength you need to believe in it. And like those who have encouraged you to trust in God, you too will proclaim His promises, generosity, and care.
Our task, then, is to be like Elijah. We must keep reminding others that “the jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry.” We must remove fears and worries from our minds and pray for the grace of firm faith in Him. This is what it means to be true disciples of Christ.
As I write this article on Election Day, our country, its citizens, and most likely other nations are in a state of suspense and anxiety over who will be elected as the next president. We place our beloved country into the hands of God and hope that the elected president will lead us toward a peaceful, just, and prosperous future.
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.
