The Comeback: It's Not Too Late And You're Never Too FarSample

Jesus Is Enough

We read many stories about people successfully overcoming obstacles as part of their comeback process. A person goes from hurting to healed, from sorrow to joy, from loss to gain. These stories are powerful and encouraging. But what do we do when an earthly comeback is not possible? What do we do when a loved one has died, or a business is gone, or a divorce is final? What do we do when the reality is that our situation will not resolve in this life?

For an answer we can turn to the story of Elijah and the widow in 1 Kings 17:8–24. When the story begins, Elijah had been camping out east of the Jordan River, along the Kerith Ravine, where each day God provided for him. In time, however, God told Elijah to travel to Zarephath, where a widow would take care of him. This widow wasn’t rich—we can see that right away from the text. She had one son, and their food was also running dangerously low.

The prophet found the widow and asked for a little water in a jar and a bit of bread. “Well why not,” she said, or words to that effect. “All I’ve got left is a handful of flour at home and a little cooking oil in a jar. I’m going to use these little scrubby sticks I’m collecting to build a fire when I get home. I’m going to use these last scrapings of my oil and flour to bake one last tiny meal for me and my son. We’re going to eat that, and then we’re going to die. You want the last of my food? Why not? If I give it to you, then all that does is hasten the end of our misery.”

Have you ever been there? At the end of your rope? How crazy does it sound that when we are at our absolute lowest, God asks for something from us? He invites us to give him our last meal. Do you know what that meal represents? It’s our full trust. When we are at our absolute lowest and weakest, Jesus invites us to hand him everything we have left. He invites us to give him our little, whatever our little is. When we give away our little, we place our full confidence in him.

In the widow’s case, when she did as Elijah had told her, there was food every day for Elijah and for her and her son. The jar of flour was not used up, and the jug of oil did not run dry. She gave away all she had, and she ended up with much more.

When Jesus is enough in our lives, we focus on what we have, not on what we don’t have. We bless God and don’t curse him. We gaze intently on God and run to him, not away from him. We believe God and don’t doubt him, even though we don’t understand our circumstances. We ask him to take the half of us that’s left and make that everything he wants us to be. When we have no comeback, the comeback is that Jesus is enough.

Respond

What can we learn from the widow’s example in this story about trusting God with our resources, giving all we have to him, and stepping out in faith?

When it comes to the problems you face, how can offering Jesus all that you have be part of God’s solution?

How has Jesus revealed to you that he is a firm foundation in the midst of the storm? How has he revealed to you that he is enough?