What Trust Looks Like

In this week's reading from I Kings, we are told that God "commanded a widow" to feed the prophet Eljiah during a drought. That's interesting because the widow was not expecting Elijah. From the widow's perspective, it was Elijah (not God) who commanded her to feed him. In fact, the poor widow was preparing her last meal and then expected that she and her son would starve to death thereafter. But Elijah declares in the name of the Lord that her source of food would not run out until God sent rain upon the earth. The widow prepared the meal for Elijah and her household had food "according to the word of the Lord."

In typical Old Testament storytelling fashion, we aren't given access to many details. The economy of the storytelling provokes questions and invites us to ponder. We don't know what the widow was thinking or feeling during this encounter with Elijah. It isn't hard to imagine that the woman was in distress, which makes her obedience all the more striking. The text does not use words to describe this, it just tells the story. To me, it portrays what trust looks like. It also causes me to ponder how God's commands and promises arrive within the concrete details of our lives and through the ministry of others.

The woman thought she was preparing her last meal. She did not realize that she would host a prophet and receive miraculous deliverance from the hand of God. Our lives are probably more like this than we realize.

Do you have a story of how God provided for you in a time of great need? Have you been a partner with God for answered prayer in the lives of others?

This Sunday, we'll be exploring some new ways of trusting God and each other to encounter His transforming presence together. I look forward to being with you!

Steve Engstrom+