Even If

Philippians 4:11-12 New Living Translation (NLT)

11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

We're in week 4 of this quarantine? Things are getting a little bit out of hand if you ask me. It's 1 in the morning on  Sunday and I just read something about someone committing suicide because of the quarantine. Trust me, I understand that the weight of this thing can be unbearable for some. This entire series of events can trigger some people. Some people are really out here going stir crazy. 

But my question now is--what if God decides this is what it's going to be? How are you going to handle it? Will you fold or will you keep serving? So that brings us to the text

1 Kings 17:8-14 New Living Translation (NLT)

The Widow at Zarephath

8 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 9 “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”

10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”

12 But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”

13 But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”

Here we have this woman. From my understanding, she has had a pretty hard life. She is poor and a widow. She has made it up in her mind that she and her son are about to die. They don't have enough to survive, and here comes Elijah with his hand out. Now I don't know if Elijah is like a known prophet at this time, like if everybody knows who he is. I'm assuming at least some people are familiar with him because this is after God sends the ravens to feed him. 

Anyway, this woman was down to her last, and she was still obedient. She was still willing to sacrifice. If yall didn't know...I'm a singer. Not that I'm this amazing singer or anything, but I'm always singing something. It's like God speaks to me through songs sometimes. I've had 2 songs stuck in my head for the last week or so, Satisfied by The Walls Group and Sacrifice of Praise by William Murphy. We'll get to Satisfied in a moment, but Sacrifice of Praise really spoke to me. 

Scripture says that in all things give thanks. In plenty and in depletion. In rich and poor. That's why the opening scripture says I have learned to be content. It's not always easy to be content. It's most definitely not easy to be content to the point where we are willing to give up the little that we do have. It sounds crazy, but it is a real thing. 
Think to the woman in Luke 21, she gave all she had, and it was more valuable that people who were giving these huge amounts of money. Why? Because she was sacrificing. 

I have said this before--Obedience is better than sacrifice, but sometimes obedience will cause you to sacrifice. Scripture also says that if praises go up, blessings will come down. So if you praise someone and glorify them in spite of how you're feeling, that is a sacrifice of praise. When praise God in spite of how you're feeling, in spite of what you're going through, in spite of your current circumstances, He has no other choice but to bless you. 

So we have this woman who in spite of feelings, she still was obedient in her sacrifice. Because of her obedience, she survived. Let's take a pause and talk about survival for a moment. 

This woman has had a hard life, but her survival rate is 100%. You know who has the same survival rate? YOU! You've come out of everything put before you. You may have come out limping and bruised up but you made it nonetheless. So don't ever feel like you have to give up. You have 100% survival rate. It is in those time where you don't think that you're going to make it that God shows you exactly who He is. He is a waymaker. He is a good good father. He is a counselor. And He showed this woman that He is a provider and a promise keeper. She went from only having enough to feed her and her son for the last time to having food for her and her family for days. 

1 Kings 17:17-20 New Living Translation (NLT)

17 Some time later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died. 18 Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?”

19 But Elijah replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the child’s body from her arms, carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body on his bed. 20 Then Elijah cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, why have you brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?”

So now tragedy hits. The scriptures never say that she cursed God or anything remotely close to that. It says she went back to Elijah. What does this say about her? It shows her unwavering trust in not only Elijah but the God in Elijah. She lost all she had when she lost her son.  If you lost everything how would you respond to God?

Will you be satisfied with Him? What if the life you have planned for yourself never comes to pass? Since maybe last Tuesday or Wednesday, I have been stuck on "Satisfied" by The Walls Group. That is the real question...will you be satisfied with God? Will you trust Him enough to go back to Him and seek His face? Do you love Him enough to say "Even if He never does anything else, He's already done enough. Even if He doesn't do anything else for me, I'll still praise Him. I'll still worship Him."

The scripture says that 

Psalm 28:7 New Living Translation (NLT)

7 The Lord is my strength and shield.
    I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
    I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

Will you still praise Him in spite of what you're going through? My heart says yes because He is the same God yesterday, today, and forevermore. So that means if He was good when He provided for the woman and her family, He's still good when her son is dead, and will be good the next day. Praise Him according to who He is. When praises go up, blessings come down.

1 Kings 17:21-23 New Living Translation (NLT)

21 And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” 22 The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived! 23 Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look!” he said. “Your son is alive!”

When God hears you praising Him and giving the sacrifice of praise, He'll come and stretch out and breath His ruach ha-kodesh over your situation. What was dead will live again. So I dare you to have an even if praise and watch what God does.