God's work, done in God's way, will never lack God's supply!
1 Kings 17:14-16 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 gives rain on the land.' " (15) 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. (16) 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.
This woman had three hungry mouths to feed. She had Elijah, herself and her young son, and if anyone has young boys they know how much they can eat. It is interesting how God did this miracle, because the barrel never had abundance in it... it was never flowing over, but the bin of flour and the jar of oil were never empty. So everyday Elijah and the widow would look into the barrel and there would be a little bit in the bottom and a little oil and they would take their breakfast. It only had a handful in it but each time they went there, there was always enough. It was never full but it was never empty. We know that this period of judgement was three and a half years. We don't know how long he spent at the brook and how long he spent here but even if we halved it you would be looking at a year and a half in both places, so it is a long time. There was never abundance but it never ran dry and it reminds me of how God's supply is always like that. We always have what we need for the day. We may not have an abundance of things, but we have what we need. And this is what God promised. It was His provision for Elijah. Just like the wilderness supply, the children of Israel would go out and there would be enough manna for the day. There would be manna in the morning and meat in the evening. Not everything that they wanted, but enough for the need. I saw how true this is with God - there is always enough for the need and many of us can testify to God's provision in this way. I myself have not lacked. I may not have everything I want but I haven't lacked. God is committed to us in this way.
The meal and the oil also speak of the things of Christ. They speak of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. It also speaks of the life of Christ that is actually within us. If you have Christ in your life, you have whatever it takes to meet that pressing need that is upon you today. Hudson Taylor, a British missionary to China, one of the early pioneers and an amazing man of faith, said this quote 'Our Heavenly Father is very experienced. He knows that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning. He sustained three million Jews in the desert for a period of forty years. We do not expect He would send three million people to China, but if He did He would have ample ways to sustain them all. Depend on it. God's work, done in God's way, will never lack God's supply'. That is so very true!