The Prophet ElishaShembull

Trusting God

“They cried out, ‘O man of God, there is death in the pot!’ And they could not eat it. He said, ‘Then bring flour.’ And he threw it into the pot and said, ‘Pour some out for the men, that they may eat.’” (2 Kings 4:40-41)

Since there was a famine in the land of Israel, people were searching for food everywhere. The group of prophets in Gilgal was no exception, so one of them went out into the fields to gather herbs and whatever seemed edible to boil stew. But when they tasted the stew, it was immediately clear that they couldn’t eat it. What a disappointment!

They turned to Elisha for help since he was a “man of God.” But his solution required their absolute trust. He asked them to bring flour to throw into the pot with inedible stew. Imagine being in a famine and ‘wasting’ the last food you have!

This story reminds me of the situation in 1 Kings 17, where Elijah told a widow to bake him a little cake with her very last flour and oil — that she needed so badly for herself and her son. But this widow trusted Elijah’s promise that “the jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth” (1 Kings 17:14).

The prophets entrusted Elisha with their flour. They were not disappointed. The Lord provided indeed.

Sometimes trusting God requires you to take illogical or risky steps in life. Do you know an example from your own life or someone else’s?