What do you do when all you have is a handful of flour, a little oil, and a few sticks? In this message, Erika Jones opens in 1 Kings 17 with a widow on what she believes is her last day. She’s gathering sticks for a final meal when God sends Elijah to her door. The big idea: God is in charge of the outcome. I am in charge of obedience.
Three things emerge. First, it’s not about what you have — it’s what God can do with what you have. The widow’s surrender positioned her for provision. Second, our obedience isn’t always seen — it’s often hidden and sacrificial. Erika gets honest about the pull toward being seen and calls us back to the hidden place. Third, miracles are on the other side of our obedience. The story doesn’t end with bread — it ends with a resurrection, the first in all of scripture, preparing both Elijah and the widow for something far greater.
The message closes with a moment from Erika’s home: her two-year-old pointing at a jar in a Bible story book, repeating “Mama got that.” The Holy Spirit used it to say: you’ve got sticks, flour, oil — he just wants you to respond. Elijah brought bread to the hungry and life to the dead, but Jesus is the greater Elijah. He is the bread of life and he is resurrection himself.
BIBLICAL REFERENCES
• 1 Kings 17:7–16
• 1 Kings 17:24
• Proverbs 16:9
• Matthew 6:6
