The Oil Shall Not Run Dry 

“He looked up and saw the rich dropping their offerings into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow dropping in two tiny coins. ‘Truly I tell you,’ He said. ‘This poor widow has put in more than all of them. For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on’”
Luke 21:1-4 (CSB)

In November Keith Hartrick, a regular writer for Day By Day, used this verse to talk about collections. It has always been a scripture that makes me think, so I shared it with my six year old and asked her what it means. She never seems to give the response I expect and this time her response made me ponder: “It means you’ll always have enough oil and flour…’—I didn’t get it.

Kindly, she went on to explain further, ‘… like the widow who fed Elijah—that is why she could give everything she had.’ This was a story she had just been told in assembly. Local schools in the area are blessed with a church group that, with the school’s permission, act out Bible stories in assembly following a programme called ‘Open the Book.’ The story she refers to is in 1 Kings 17:1-16. Here we read that Elijah was told by God to go and hide, leaving all that he had and be fed by ravens. Talk about an act of faith from Elijah! Following that, God then asks Elijah to go and be provided for by a widow, in a land poor with drought and famine. When Elijah asks the widow’s help she responds in verse 12 by saying, “As the Lord your God lives, I don’t have anything baked—only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”

Elijah tells the widow not to fear, and instead make him a cake! “…for this is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the surface of the land.’ So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. Then the woman, Elijah, and her household ate for many days. The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the Lord he had spoken through Elijah” (1 Kings 17:14-15).

Indeed, when we give our hard earned coins into a church collection, let us not forget who we are giving to—God of Israel, Lord of the impossible!

Prayer
Heavenly father, thank you for all that you provide for us, that we need not worry about the food we eat or the clothes on our back. Thank you for the tremendous care and love you show for us when we commit to you in faith. You are our almighty father and ultimate provider—praise be to you. In Jesus’ Name.
Amen

Study by Simone Royle

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About the Author:
Simone Royle attends the Birmingham Congregation of the Worldwide Church of God UK.

Local Congregation:
Worldwide Church of God Birmingham
All Saints Church
George Road
BIRMINGHAM
B23 7QB

Meeting Time:
Saturday 1:00pm

Local Congregational Contact:
David Gibbs
Phone: 01213420609 (answer phone)
Mobile: 07974440580
Email: david_gibbs@wcg.org.uk