“When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, ‘Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?’ As she was going to get it, he called, ‘And bring me, please, a piece of bread.’ ‘As surely as the Lord your God lives,’ she replied, ‘I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.’” 1 Kings 17:11-12
Only some of us can relate to losing a spouse like this precious widow had experienced but all of us can relate to feeling hopeless, empty, fearful, and exhausted at some point in our lives. There were times in my life when a heartbreaking season prompted emotions that zapped my emotional and spiritual health. Like the widow, I was barely hanging on and each day I was faced with paralyzing grief and fear. Walking in circles I was gathering sticks of discouragement…’I will never survive this…I just know death is around the corner…Why me and why her?’ I barely had the energy and desire to do the basic things much less anything extra. I can only imagine the frustration that this widow felt when a stranger was asking something of her that she felt completely deficient of providing. The audacity this person had to require anything of her at the point of her lowest time in life. I love that she was completely honest informing him that she didn’t have what he was asking for, but she would attempt to accommodate the lesser request. She was gathering sticks as a reflection of her heart…the belief that her life was over and she was going to die.
Pain and despair can easily paint a picture of life being over. It lures us into the darkness and all we see are its shadows…'I will never be happy again…I will always live in this state of loneliness…I will never heal from this…' The tunes of the shadows are fragmented at best and hypnotic at worst. I love that Elijah pointed out to the widow that what little she did have was sufficient for what she needed. Not only did she have enough for her son and herself, but she had enough to feed others.
Sometimes we encounter a messenger from God who points out our provision in our paralysis. God desires our authenticity instead of our surface prayers. He understands the heartbreak we are experiencing and the fear that guides us. When we go to Him in prayer, we open up the communication to see life from His abilities…not from our own. While we are trying to just put one foot in front of the other, God has been gathering our sticks for us. Sticks that light fires! Sticks that build lasting flame! Sticks that provide the warmth, safety, and healing required in those horrific seasons. We already have everything we need to escape the shadows, but we must take that first step into His healing Light.
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