First Obey God

This is such a sorrowful story. Poverty is never fun but can you imagine the desperation and then resignation of this woman. She was planning for the last moments of her and her son’s life. One last loaf of bread and then wait for the painful end.

And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
And she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” (1 Ki. 17:11-12 ESV)

But notice that God had her in his plans.

And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son.
For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'” (1 Ki. 17:13-14 ESV)

We never know what our sorrow and our darkness will bring. God knows where we are and he has made plans for us. Whether we live or die we must remember that we serve God. It is not magic. It is not wishing upon a star. God may never give you the desires of your heart. After all, it is not about you or me. It is about the plans he has for us. We are called to sit in the darkness, live with the pain, endure the uncertainty until God reveals his sovereign plans for us. But, first, always first, obey the commands of God and then see his will unfold before us.