And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. — 1 Kings 17:12
There are many times when I read the Bible that I simply try to imagine the story in my mind. This story in 1 Kings 17 is one of those stories. As I read the story, I have a vision of an older woman who is gathering up sticks near the city gates as Elijah approaches. She probably has a couple of those sticks in her hand and is searching for more.
As Elijah asks for something to drink and something to eat, the woman shares that the reason she is here is that she has reached the bottom of her barrel. Just a few sticks, and she would mix up a small meal for her and her son, thinking this would be their last meal on earth. She knew what was in her barrel, and she knew that it was simply not enough to carry on.
We can probably all admit that we have faced moments in our lives like that. We were facing life’s intense pressures. The cares and trouble were weighing us down. At that moment, we felt like we simply did not have it in us to carry on. In other words, we had reached the bottom of the barrel.
Thankfully, God is an expert at handling the bottom of the barrel. In the moments when we feel empty and like we cannot go on, God is able to provide and help us through. When you have God, your barrel is never truly empty!
You may not feel like you are at the bottom of your barrel today, but one day you will. But maybe you do feel as though you cannot go on. Maybe you feel like you have reached the end, and you can’t make it one more day. Just remember what God can do.
Never forget that God is still God at the bottom of your barrel. You may not see a way forward, and you may have lost all hope, but God is still God. He can still do amazing things, even when you are at the bottom of your barrel.
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