Devotional: Provision in Time of Need

Read 1 Kings 19:1-8
“And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee” (v. 7).

When my father died in December 1947, my mother was left a widow. She had me, a boy of three-and-a-half years, my older brother of seven-and a-half years, and my younger brother of one-and-a-half years. She had no profession or trade by which she could earn a living, and farmers were not yet covered by Social Security. She was left with two small farms; one an eighty-acre tract with a house and out buildings, and a forty-acre tract with no improvements. She could not cultivate the farms and had only a small welfare check on which to try to feed her three boys and herself. She leaned heavily on the Lord for provisions.
Elijah found provisions for his need from an unexpected source, and it was sufficient for his long journey. The threat from Jezebel brought great fear to him, such that he asked God to take his life. The death of my father left my mother in a perplexing condition. For her to ask God to take her life would have left three boys as orphans. Therefore, she could only look to God for “provision in time of need.” Just as God provided for Elijah, so He provided for my mother and her boys. (Larry DeOrnellis)

It is possible that God permits us to pass through times of need to enable us to experience His provisions.

This devotional is the Monday, November 30, 2015 entry of Opening the Word. Buy your copy today!