When It Hurts To Give

The very thing you think is sustaining your life, the thing you think you can’t live without, may be the very thing God asks you to release.

Consider the widow of Zarephath, who had one small jar of oil and a handful of flour: she was in distress and anguish of heart as she watched her child slowly fade away for lack of food (1 Kings 17). Then Elijah showed up on her doorstep, sent by God, and asked her for food and water! Was he crazy? Couldn't he see they were destitute? But she did as the prophet commanded, using the last of her flour and oil to make a meal for him. In the days and weeks and months that followed the jars of flour and oil were continuously refilled - God sustained them through their season of lack and poverty!

Many years later Jesus stood in a deserted place teaching the multitudes. They were desperate for him, having walked long distances to hear His teaching and get a touch from His healing hands. Yet only one small child brought a meal to sustain himself. His Momma packed him a lunch – perhaps she didn’t want him to leave Jesus feet, but stay and soak in every word from the Master!
As the evening meal time approached the helpful disciples gave Jesus a bit of a rebuke, “You’d better send them home now Jesus, they have a long way to go and we don’t want them to faint for lack of food, it’s getting close to supper time.” Jesus response was “You feed them!” Yeah, right – there are thousands of people here-we don’t have enough money and there’s only enough food for us 12. But ‘enough’ in the Kingdom is different than ‘enough’ in the world! Five small loaves and 2 small fish are enough for God to work with - and the faith and obedience of one little boy is enough to bring in the wonder working power of God (Matt 14, Luke 9).

Perhaps the phrase “I surrender all” has more meaning than what we had previously given it? The thing that sustains us or holds our hearts is the very thing God may call us to surrender to His kingdom. That which we hold dearly and think we can’t do without may be the thing that blocks us from seeing the miraculous happen – in both our lives and someone else’s.

Do we surrender all as He beckons? Or are there some things which it seems unreasonable or impossible to surrender?