Something to eat

Christine Colliar April 05, 2025 3 3

Playlists

Add to Favourites

Save for later

Listen to this daily worship

1 Kings 17: 7-16 (NRSVA)

7 But after a while the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 ‘Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.’ 10 So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.’ 11 As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.’ 12 But she said, ‘As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.’ 13 Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ 15 She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

In this story of Elijah and the woman in Zarephath, we see a simple yet powerful miracle. In the middle of a famine, with only a bit of flour and oil left, the widow finds that her supplies never run out. Each day, she and her son are fed, and in that daily miracle, bread becomes more than food. It is life itself, keeping them alive and connecting them to God’s sustaining grace.

Bread might seem ordinary, but here it’s a reminder of God’s constant provision. It’s not just about surviving, but about how God shows up in the small, everyday moments. Each loaf baked from that jar of flour and oil is a quiet miracle, showing that God’s care isn’t just for big moments, but for the mundane, the repetitive, and the daily acts of life.

How often do we miss this miracle and maybe take food for granted? This story reminds us that every meal is a gift, connecting us to God and each other. Even in the simplest things, God’s provision is there, quietly sustaining us in body and spirit.

Prayer:

God of Provision,

Thank you for the simple gifts of life,

for the bread that sustains us,

for the meals that connect us to you and each other.

In every loaf, we see your care,

in every bite, your grace.

You don’t just provide in the big moments,

but in the small, everyday acts of life.

Help us remember the miracle in the mundane,

to trust that you will always provide,

and to share what we have with others,

as you share with us.

Amen

What can I do? Pray for the continued work of Edinburgh City Mission (edinburghcitymission.org.uk), especially its food-bank and Care Van services which mean people, like the widow, won’t run out of food supplies.