When You Feel Empty

The widow of Zarephath teaches us that when we choose faith over fear and put God first, He can bless, preserve, heal, and strengthen us.

Scripture:
“And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first.” — 1 Kings 17:13

“For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail.” — 1 Kings 17:14

Quote:
President Russell M. Nelson taught:
“The Lord loves effort, because effort brings rewards that can’t come without it.”

Reflection:
The widow of Zarephath was almost empty.

There was a famine in the land, and she had only a handful of meal and a little oil left. She was gathering sticks to prepare what she believed would be one final meal for herself and her son.

Then Elijah, the prophet of the Lord, asked her to make food for him first.

That would have required incredible faith.

It would have been one thing to give if she had extra. It would have been different if her shelves were full or if she already knew where the next meal was coming from. But she was asked to trust God when she had almost nothing left.

Instead of following fear, she followed faith.

She trusted the word of the Lord through His prophet, and the Lord kept His promise. Her meal and oil did not fail. Day after day, God gave enough.

Sometimes we feel empty too.

Not always because we are out of food, but because we feel emotionally, spiritually, mentally, or socially drained. We may feel like we are running out of strength, hope, patience, motivation, confidence, or faith.

And when we feel empty, it can be hard to put God first.

It can be hard to pray when we feel tired.
It can be hard to serve when we feel overwhelmed.
It can be hard to trust when we are afraid.
It can be hard to follow prophetic counsel when we do not yet see how the blessing will come.

But the widow’s story teaches a powerful truth: when we put God first, He can preserve, bless, heal, and strengthen us in ways we could never provide for ourselves.

Putting God first does not mean life instantly becomes easy. The widow still lived through a famine. She still faced grief when her son died. But the Lord was with her, and His power was real in her life.

Jesus Christ can do that for you too.

When you feel empty, He can give enough for today.
When you feel weak, He can strengthen you.
When you feel broken, He can heal what only He has power to heal.

Today’s Challenge:
Choose one way to put God first today before you see the blessing.

You could pray before checking your phone, read scripture before starting homework, follow a prompting, serve someone, keep a commandment, or trust prophetic counsel in one specific way.

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