“Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.” 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?” As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.” 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.” 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. 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!” So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah. I Kings 17:9-16 (New Living Translation, NLT)

The prophet Elijah was sent by God to a widow who had no natural means of taking care of his needs. The prophet asked the woman to take part of the last bit of food she had in her house to feed him before doing anything to feed herself or her son. Her obedience was a true act of faith. She put the man of God before her family and her own needs. As a result, she was given all she needed to sustain her through the remainder of the famine.

There is a simple lesson of provision and increase in this story. As the widow defied logic to give the man of God bread made from the pitiful supply she had, she opened the door to receive the blessings of the Lord. We could compare this today with food shortages and interruptions in our supply chains. What are we going to do? Are we going to despair or are we going to use the opportunity to give what we do have to the Lord?

I don’t know your specific situation, but if we have something, we should be willing to share it with others in need. God sees this as ministering directly to Him (Matthew 25:25-35). It is an act of sowing into the lives of other people, and whatever we sow, we will reap. This widow benefited from the law of sowing and reaping. She sowed food into Elijah and she reaped an abundant harvest of food for herself and her son.

Regardless of the economy or the availability of food and other necessities, we should be sowing. Sowing is something we should have already been doing. The Bible tells us to give, and when we do, it will be given back to us in abundance. Never let natural circumstances determine whether you can afford to give to the Lord. You can’t afford not to. If you never sow, you will never reap.

Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.” Luke 6:38 (Amplified Bible, AMP)

We are entering a great end-time harvest period. The wealth of the sinner is being turned over to the righteous. The way we activate that in our lives is through giving. Stinginess and selfishness are not rewarded in the kingdom of God. Only by giving will we receive and prosper.