2 Corinthians 9:6

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

1 Kings 17:14

“For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.’”

One of my favorite Old Testament stories is found in 1 Kings 17. It is the story of Elijah who was living during a time of extreme drought, as he took refuge at the home of a widow and her son. Elijah had traveled for days to reach her house and was famished, but when he asked for something to eat she hesitated. Apparently, this widow was down to her last bit of flour and her last drop of oil – after one more bit of bread, she and her son were going to starve.

Elijah’s response to the widow’s predicament was strange. He insisted that she go ahead and use the flour and oil and that she feed him first. “If you will do that,” he promised, “God will not allow your flour to run out or your oil to run dry.” How difficult that promise must have been for the widow to believe… but she did what Elijah said, and as a result God blessed her. She continued to find oil in the jar and flour in the bin. Her family stayed alive.

That story from the Old Testament illustrates one of God’s principles when He asks us to give – God wants us to stretch our faith when we give. He wants us to reach further than we think is comfortable and to give more than feels safe. When we do that, without holding back, we find that God doesn’t hold back on His end! Ask God to help stretch your faith.

Have you seen the principle Paul described (in 2 Corinthians 9:6) in practice?  How?

Why do you think God wants us to “stretch” in our faith?