Everyday Miracles: 20 Day Journey With Elijah And Elishaنموونە

God’s Word is His provision because His Word never fails.

When the Lord spoke to Elijah in a drought and told the prophet that a poor widow would feed him, the Word of the Lord was as good as the provision itself. 

My father-in-law worked in the bond business at Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo) in Winston-Salem for his entire professional career before retiring nearly 30 years ago. In his leadership role with the bond department, he and his sales team regularly bought and sold millions of dollars of bonds over the phone. Here’s how every deal was sealed: it was spoken. Plain. Simple. If the bond salesperson made an agreement on the phone, it was done. If the salesperson didn’t follow through, no client would trust him/her. If the client didn’t keep his/her word, they’d no longer be a client. 

In today’s world of emails, instant legal contracts and online agreements, it’s hard for us to imagine a world where someone’s word made all the difference. But such was the culture of the biblical world. People everywhere understood the power of an authoritative word. 

When Jesus was tempted after fasting forty days in the wilderness, the devil tried to allure the Messiah into taking a short cut to glory. The devil wanted Jesus to forgo His humanity and only embrace His divinity. So Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread. Instead of being authentically human and experiencing the hunger pangs of a real human belly, the devil tried to trick Jesus into quick satisfaction of fleshly desires. But Jesus, as He always did, resisted the devil by the word of God. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy to the devil: “Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” 

In other words, the Word of God is so reliable that it is the provision. God’s promise of food is real food. God’s promises and God’s provisions are, in that sense, the same. If God says you’ll have it, you’ll have it. And that’s the Gospel!

Questions for Reflection:

1) Who, more than anyone else you’ve known, is true to his/her word? How does the person’s integrity shape how you feel about him/her? 

2) Write down at least one way that you’ve seen God be true to His Word in your life? 

3) Are there some areas of need in your life for which you need God’s provision? Write down each area of need and, beside it, write down what God’s Word has to say about His promise of provision. 

Prayer for the Day: 

Lord, you created the world with words. No word that you speak returns to you empty. Teach my heart to love and trust your Word. Show me the deep joy of trusting in your promises. Today, I trust in your promise of provision in this area of my life _________________. Though I long for the provision now, I trust your Word. Your Word is my provision. Make my heart sure of the truth: I do not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from your mouth. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.