June 20, 2009 God Of Provision
Today’s Bible Reading: 2 Kings 4,5; Psalms 83; 1 Timothy 2
Scripture Focus:
2 Kings 4:43 But his servant said, “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?”
He said again, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the LORD: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’” So he set it before them; and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.
Observation:
2 Kings 4 is all about how God provides for his people. First we hear about providing a widow with oil so she can pay her debts and have enough left over to live on, then giving the Shunammite woman a son and raising him from the dead when he dies as a young child, then the purifying of a pot of stew so the prophets can eat, and finally, Elisha feeding one hundred men with a small amount of food.
I’d never noticed the similarity between the feeding of the 100 by Elisha and the feeding of the 5000 by Jesus in Matthew 14:13–21. God provided in the same way in both cases—he took a small offering and multiplied it so that it was enough for a large crowd with some left over.
Application:
God reminds me over and over that he is my provider, so why do I get fearful or panicky when I don’t have enough? God can take my paltry offering and multiply it so that there’s enough for me and enough left over to give away.
Prayer:
Father God, thank you for this reminder that you are the God Who Provides.
