This Miraculously Ordinary Life

If you’re looking for action packed stories, filled with larger than life characters and life changing lessons, there’s no need to look any further than the Old Testament! It’s the entire first section of that dusty old Bible sitting by your bed or tucked away on the bookshelf. I have been reading mine for so many years, the cover is only partially attached now and the pages are all filled with highlights and notes. And yet every time I open it, God shows me something new or reminds me of something that has slipped to the back of my mind. Today’s story was no different!

I was reading in I Kings 17:8-24 about the prophet Elijah and the widow who lived in Zarephath. I love this story, and I’ve actually talked about it before, but today something else jumped out at me. Let me explain…

The king of Israel at that time was King Ahab, who had married the notorious Jezebel. The Bible says Ahab and his queen did more to provoke the anger of God than any of the other kings of Israel before him. He was not a good guy. God was so angry at the king and the nation of Israel that He allowed a severe drought that would last for a few years.

Its at this point in the story that Elijah travels to Zarephath where he meets the widow God had directed him to. He was hungry and thirsty so he asked her to get him some water and some bread. As I read verse 12, I can almost hear her voice catch as she tells him she doesn’t have a single piece of bread in the house. In fact, the widow had barely enough flour for one last meal that she was preparing for her son and herself. After that, they would simply wait to die.

Now Elijah had walked with God long enough to know that He wouldn’t have sent him to the widow without some master plan already figured out. Elijah encouraged the widow and told her not to worry, but to go ahead and prepare something for him and then herself and her son. He told her God would make sure there was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers to continue feeding her small family. And that is exactly what God did!

The drought continued, and God continued to provide enough flour and oil for the three of them. The Bible doesn’t say there was a surplus of flour and oil, that’s a different story, but there was always enough.

To me, that’s an example of the miracle of God’s provision. Sometimes it’s shocking, like when there shouldn’t be enough but miraculously there is. Other times, it’s so simple and mundane it can be ignored.

Sometime later, the widow’s son dies. Elijah prays over him and God revives the young boy. Here’s the part I find so interesting; the widow is so happy to have her son back she tells Elijah that NOW she believes he is a prophet from God. Its as if all the many meals of miraculous oil and flour hadn’t convinced her.

Don’t get me wrong, I would be just as excited to have my dead son revived and brought back to me. I would be running up and down the street yelling to anyone and everyone that God is a miracle worker who brought my boy back to me from the grave! I would live out the rest of my life in gratitude to God’s mercy, and probably would never stop hugging my kid!

What I find so interesting and telling of how I experience God’s provision, is the fact that the miracle of providing enough flour and oil to meet their day-to-day needs became normal, almost expected. As if everyone experiences a miraculously-never-ending jar of flour and oil. It was the big, flashy miracle that brought her to the realization that God was real.

How often do we miss the small, daily miracles or examples of God’s incredibly personal love for us, because we’re waiting to see the big show?

I was able to get out of bed this morning. My eyes opened, I took a deep breath and walked out of my bedroom. I had coffee, my own Bible to read and could listen to the quiet of the early morning – birds waking up, my dogs doing their “kitty cat stretch” – and the occasional car driving it’s occupant off to work.

Every one of those is a miracle of God’s provision.

I would have liked to wake up younger, with fewer dings and dents; I would have loved if the constant tug of fibromyalgia – chronic pain and fatigue – were miraculously gone forever. Waking up to a world without war and hatred and unkindness would be the best!

But if I focus on what God hasn’t provided me (in my eyes, anyway) I would miss the million and one ways He shows me how much He cares for and loves me every single day, even when I don’t see it.

If you’ve read many of my stories, you have probably caught on to my philosophy: I want to live every moment of every day thankful! I want to be mindful of all the little ways I experience God’s love and always thank Him. ALWAYS!

So here’s my thought for today: why do we so often miss the small day to day miracles because we think things just work out for the best and it’s simply life happening? Why do we assume that God only deals in the big stuff? Today, let’s open our eyes and ask God to point out all the little things He does for us so we can thank Him. Every ordinary life is truly miraculous when we do!

Oh, I just saw a butterfly float by! I’m going to start there!

Thank you, Father, for all that You do for me and mankind that shows Your love and care. Thank you for the small things, like this butterfly, that aren’t required but that are so uniquely and wonderfully made by You! Thank you for the big things, too. Thank you for sending Your only son, Jesus, to die for my sins! I love you, Father. Amen.