Only a Handful of Flour

Copyright © 2005 Lisa Biggs Crum

1 Kings 17:13
Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.

The drought had outlasted the food supply. The widow was gathering sticks for the small fire that would be used to prepare one last meal for her and her son before they would accept death from starvation. This was all she had. “Only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug” she told Elijah when he asked for a piece of bread. Elijah had the audacity to ask her to give to him first before feeding her son and herself. He promised that God would provide all she needed if he would feed him first.

Dilemma: A small meal that may provide life for a little longer or believe this man and survive the drought. What would you do?

You have the same dilemma. Each day, God asks for just a piece of bread. He is fully in control even when you think it is up to you to provide for your family, your employer, your ministry and yourself.

What are your remaining resources? Will you insist on using them to prolong your life as seems logical, hoping that more resources will show up before the benefit of your efforts die out? Or will you first give from what you have and watch the illogical happen?

God’s ways do not always make sense to us. Fortunately, he is God and we are not. What seems like only a handful of flour can provide nourishment to change lives. Keep reading in 1 Kings 17 to see how Elijah later impacted the widow and her son.

Don’t get caught up in the material application of this story. We each have a handful of flour in many different forms. For some it may be material possessions. For others it may be time and ability. It often seems safe and logical to take care of ourselves first. The key is not in the giving. It is in the listening and trusting. Do you give out of obedience to God or out of pride? If it were a life and death risk, would you give?

What will you do with the flour you have remaining?