There Is More In You
“There Is More in You”
by Pastor Alli Munsey
May 12, 2019
So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
“As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”
She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. - 1 Kings 17:10-16 (NIV)
There are a lot of unrealistic expectations for what it means to be a mom in 2019 that can make us feel like we are failing, even when we’ve given everything we’ve got.
We learn from the widow of Zarephath that everything we need is found in Jesus. In our own strength, we’ll always come up short, but by relying on Jesus, we’ll find that we have enough. When the widow gives back to God what little she has, God blesses her with more than enough to survive.
In 1 Kings 17, Elijah approaches the widow of Zarephath who believes she is about to run out of food as she is preparing to die with her son. Elijah asks for the last bit of food that she has. The widow demonstrates a mother’s spirit in this moment. A mother’s spirit does what it takes to make things happen. A mother’s spirit stands up when everyone else sits down. This widow trusts the prophet with the little she has, even in the middle of a crisis.
When we read this story, it’s hard not to think: Isn’t it a little rude that God would ask her to give more in the middle of her pain? In the middle of the drought, why would God do this? God is not looking for us to give what we can’t -- he wants to take the little that we have and give us more.
The reason that God asks for more from the widow is because he is confronting a spirit of lack, of withholding. In that moment where we feel like we’ve done everything we know to do, we start to hold back to try to self-protect. But that’s when God wants us to trust him the most--with the little that we have left. In exchange for her trust, God gives her an abundant blessing--not just what she needs, but more than enough.
There is more in you--more peace, more love, and more grace. It’s not that we have to do more; we just need to sit back and receive more from Jesus. We can access more peace, more forgiveness, and more grace in Christ. There is more inside of you; there is more for you.
Sometimes it can be the most frustrating thing when you feel you’ve given everything you’ve got, but then you’re told you’ve got more in you. God often nudges us with little voices from behind to tell us we’ve got more in us, because he knows that we’ll stay in a mediocre place without the coach behind us.
God has given us everything we need so that we don’t settle into mediocrity. He is fighting against the lack mentality in our lives. If we would just trust God with the little that we’ve got left, he will give us everything we need for this life.
Discussion/Reflection Questions:
What are you holding back from God right now?
In what area of your life do you believe God is telling you that you have more in you?
In what area of your life do you believe God has more for you?
How can you trust God more in this area? What steps can you take this week to give more to God?