"I am in desperate need"

1 KINGS 17:8-16.
"Then the word of the Lord came to him (Elijah), saying, ^⁹'Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.' ^¹⁰So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when ge came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, 'Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.' ^¹¹And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, 'Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.' ^¹²So she said, 'As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gatering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.' ^¹³And Elijah said to her, 'Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. ^¹⁴For thus says the Lord God of Israel:'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.' ^¹⁵So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and her household ate for many days. ^¹⁶The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah."
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Here we see God providing for people's needs miraculously. No matter how desperate the circumstances, God can do for you what he did for the widow.
God is able and willing to seek you out and bless you. God sent Elijah to the widow. She wasn't looking for Elijah. God also sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for your sin. If you haven't yet accepted Jesus into your life; then He is looking for you, as Elijah sought the widow.
When Elijah saw her, she was gathering sticks in order to prepare her last meal. She could have stayed at home and given up. People often give up before they have done their very best. The widow was gathering something useful, that God would use to bless her. What are you gathering in your life? Is it something that can be used to deal with your situation?
Elijah asks for a cup of water. On seeing her willingness, he askes for a morsel of bread. She explains that she has no bread, but has a little flour and oil. She had all she needed - sticks, water, flour and oil. Although she was on the brink of death, she had 'something'. You too have 'something'. Whether you believe it or not, you have ability, experiences, strengths,resources etc that the Lord can use to help you. It doesn't matter how much you have - a little is enough.
At this point Elijah actually asks her to bake him a cake and make some for her and herself and son afterwards. 'What cheek!' you may say! After all, she is dying, and yet she must feed a stranger first? In the same way God may require offer something sacrificial of you. The main focus is that He wants you to trust Him and put Him first. Are you willing to do that? You can put God first in every area of your life and cause Him to bless you. Or you can please yourself first and put Him aside. You will however miss out on 'what could have been.'
Notice that the widow went through a process of selfless giving; first the water, then the bread, then the cake. Elijah's requests were increasingly difficult for the widow to grant. From the first instance, she could have refused Elijah the water; after all there was a drought. However as she was willing, Elijah asked for more and more. At her willingness to make the cake out of the last of her supplies, Elijah then gives a promise from the Lord. The promise was made after her obedience. What a blessing she would have missed had she been less cooperative! As she obeyed and made him the cake, the promise was fulfilled - the flour and oil weren't used up until rain came. She and her household ate for many days - a miracle. Throughout this encounter the widow didn't even know that God was involved in the encounter with Elijah. God often works in our lives long before we think he does. Our blessings are often the end result of a process that the Lord would have us go through.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Saviour, be assured that God has been working in your life before you got to this page. He loves you and wants to bless you. Accept Him today. I know that I was like this widow - without hope and a future. However Jesus came my way, and changed my life for the good.

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