IN YOU, O LORD, I PLACE ALL MY TRUST
A Blessed Sunday to everyone. Have you ever struggled massively with some area of your life & someone reached out to help you? Or have you ever given support & help to another who was almost at the brink of despair? How did you feel in either or both these situations?
The 1st Reading from 1 Kings 17:10-16 is one of my favourite Old Testament accounts of God’s loving care & provision for His people, & also one of people’s trust & generosity. During the time of the drought in the Northen Kingdom of Israel, the Prophet Elijah was told by God to go Zarephath in Sidon, where a widow would feed him. Elijah met the widow & he could plainly see that she was very poor, hungry, desperate & at her wits end. Yet he made an audacious & bold request to her for water & some bread. When she shared her pitiable & hopeless condition with him, Elijah prophesied to her the comforting word of God: “Jar of meal shall not be spent, jug of oil shall not be emptied, before the day when the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth” (1 Kings:14). She heard, believed & trusted, gave generously to Elijah out of her poverty & scarcity, & did as asked. And indeed, the Lord looked with favour upon the trust she had shown & saved her son & her from the famine & drought.
The Gospel today from Mark 12;38-44 also talks about a poor widow, who unlike the other wealthier worshippers at the temple who gave out of their excess, put in all she had to live on into the temple treasury. Jesus commended her for her trusting heart (that God would provide for her) & her generous heart to give her all.
So, what is the Lord saying to you in today’s Word? Is it to persevere & trust that the Lord will save you from your hopeless situation by someone’s generosity, care & compassion? Perhaps He is asking you to open your eyes, your ears & your heart to see, hear & feel the cry of the the people who are suffering & need help & to reach out to them? He could be telling you to let go of your ego / pride & humble yourself to receive help from the lowly & those without much status in life (like the widow who helped Elijah)? Or maybe Jesus is just saying to you “Do not be afraid… You are precious to me … I will come and save you … I love you with an everlasting love … My plans for you will be for your good …” (cf Isaiah 43:1,4, Isaiah 35:4, Jeremiah 31:3 & Jeremiah 29:11)?
SELAH – a Hebrew word from the Bible (found in the Psalms & Prophet Habakkuk) that says PAUSE & REFLECT. Let’s just do that now…
So, how do we respond to God’s loving Word to us today? Our Psalm’s Response says it best: “My soul, give praise to the Lord.” (Psalm 146:2). Thus, my brothers & sisters, let us rejoice, exult, & give praise & thanks to the Lord for all the wonderful things He has done in your life! Alleluia!
Here’s a moving & touching video based on Elijah with the widow of Zarephath. Enjoy the viewing …
https://youtu.be/NAwuKUHKKBw?si=3q5S1IJD8uCy0DKJ
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead