THE BLESSING TRIGGER

“…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… 14 For thus says the Lord… ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ”” ~ I Kings 17:13-14

REFERENCE:

I Kings 17:8-16

What Elijah did would have made headlines in modern newspapers: “Itinerant Prophet defrauds poor widow of her meager resource” or “Fake pastor cons helpless widow.” How do you go to a poor widow to ask her to give you her last meal? It doesn’t make sense; it sounds insensitive, harsh, and near-bizarre. However, God orchestrated it; it was of the Lord and a blessing trigger.

Take note that Elijah did this by God’s leading and that God said, “I have commanded a widow there.” It may appear to us that Elijah was the one who spoke to her, but a stronger inner conviction moved her, for God Himself commanded her. Onlookers may feel awkward about it, but God worked out an arithmetic of supernatural supply in the unseen realm.

All God was looking for from both Elijah and the widow was obedience, despite the odd instruction. The secret of the lasting blessing was in their obedience. All the woman had left was for her to eat and die, but obedience turned it into superabundance. Ravens or the brook no longer sustained Elijah; his obedience triggered the blessing.

Sometimes, it seems God puts ‘unbearable’ demands on you; give a financial seed, let go of your favorite dress or pair of shoes, send support to an old school friend, give to your pastor, etc., usually when inconvenient. However, it is a trigger. God sees beyond the instruction; He sees the blessing. While the widow saw a demanding prophet, God saw years of abundance.

Elijah told the widow, “Do not fear.” Fear keeps us from obeying or giving to God; the fear of lack, what may go wrong, or suffering. God will not allow things to go bad just because you gave to Him; He will not allow your tomorrow to be worse than your today. You will not beg because you sowed in God’s project. If you put God first, He will put you first. He sees every sacrifice, and He will reward it. Don’t be agitated by the divine directive; it is the blessing trigger.

PHOTO QUOTE

ADDITIONAL TEXTS:

Proverbs 11:24-25, Job 36:11, and Genesis 22:15-18

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PRAYER:

Lord, I ask for the faith to trust You completely and not withhold anything You ask of me from You. Please give me the faith to act in obedience and trust you with my future. May I not fail to recognize opportunities that will trigger Your blessings in my life just because I am so focused on what I have that I fail to see what You have for me, in Jesus’ name.