Do You Need To Replenish Your Soul?

The end of summer and early fall is always busy for me as I work to replenish our pantry and freezer for the long cold months ahead. We are living in unusual times, and not knowing what is coming next, I am doing my best to prepare for our needs.

Replenishing the Pantry

I have been doing an inventory of our pantry and seeing what staples we will need to get through this winter. There are always basic needs like flour, yeast, oil, bone broths, soups, pastas, and canned fruit. Our freezer is full of meat and frozen vegetables, which we will use all winter long.

I believe it is good to have a plan, but I was reminded that even if all my plans go awry, God always has a plan to care for us.

God’s Promise to Replenish

In 1 Kings 17: 7-16, we read the story of a widow who is gathering wood to make a fire for herself and her son. Elijah asks the widow for a drink, and she gets him a drink, but then Elijah asks for a biscuit. Ordinarily, it probably wouldn’t have been a big deal. However, there is a famine, and people are starving to death. The widow replies that she does not have enough for him, and after she makes this last biscuit, she and her son will die. Elijah proceeds to tell her God said her flour and oil would not run out for the duration of the famine if she made him a biscuit. The widow went and made the biscuit and brought it back to Elijah, and God kept his promise. The widow’s flour and oil never ran out.

I know what it is like to be hungry, but I don’t know what it is like to think I’m going to die if I offer a biscuit to another person who is as hungry as I am. It would be a difficult situation to be in if my son’s and my life depended on this little sustenance.

Are You in a Famine?

Maybe there has been a famine in your life. It might not have anything to do with physical food, but about the ability to feed your spirit. At times in my life, I have been  in a desert of despair, looking for a drink of “Living Water.” Have you ever had those moments where you need God to show up and provide you with proof that He hasn’t left you alone to starve or die of thirst?

I was divorced and a single mom for ten years, and there were times I needed God to show up physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I had given all I could and felt like there was nothing left to feed my soul or provide for my daughter.

Even if all my plans go awry, God always has a plan to care for us. Click To Tweet

Do You Need to See a Full Jar?

Sometimes, we need to see an empty jar become a full jar with our own eyes, feel it in our own hearts, and have a story to share about God’s faithfulness when we were scraping the bottom of the barrel. We all need one of those stories where “Only God can do that! “

I don’t know what you need the most, but God does, and this story reminded me when we think we have nothing left to give, God will always replenish whatever it is we need. Many times, I saw God replenish my heart, my pantry, and even my bank account when it didn’t make sense. God also replenishes what we don’t even realize we need.

I’m Guilty of Trying to Fill My Jar

If I had been the widow chances are because my personality type causes me to plan ahead, I would have baked as many biscuits as I could once I knew my flour and oil wouldn’t run out, just in case Elijah was wrong. But her faith relied on God’s promise to keep replenishing her jars. She used what she needed each day and had the confidence that God would keep His promise.

What an example of faithfulness! What good is my faith if I depend on myself to continually fill my jar rather than trusting the One who provides everything I need?

It is easy to think we can solve all our problems ourselves if we have what we need, but there is a reason God keeps us going back to the jar each day. Because it is a reminder of His vast, intimate love for each of us and how much He cares for us as His children.

Related Post: Stuck in a Rut? 3 Steps to Spiritual Growth

Needs vs. Wants

Life is hard. There are times I have been filled with discouragement, fear, and hopelessness, but every time I go back to the jar, I find encouragement, strength, and hope. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we do know who holds tomorrow, and He can replenish anything we need.

It is important to remember there is a difference between needs and wants. Needs are for basic survival, and wants are everything else. Sometimes we get needs and wants confused, and then we get frustrated because we think God is not listening to our prayers.

I am sure we all have a jar that has something that needs to be replenished. We live in a world that has the power to steal from us and leave our jar empty if we are not careful.

Be Honest with God

One of the best ways I have found to replenish my jar is, to be honest. There is great freedom in being honest with those you trust. The widow was honest when she told Elijah she and her son were going to die of starvation if she made him a biscuit. However, God honored her honesty and replenished her jar through the whole famine.

Be honest with God. He knows what you need, but He loves it when we trust Him enough to ask. If God replenished the widow’s jar, I know He will replenish ours. Our circumstances change, and so do our needs, but God doesn’t. He is forever faithful to His children.

What Do You Need God to Replenish?

What do you need God to replenish in your life? Don’t be afraid to have that conversation with God.

Today I’m praying that whatever you need, you will find in your jar to sustain, encourage and empower you to keep going even when you don’t want to or feel like you can’t go on. Every time we believe in His promises, our faith grows more profound, and our jar fills up!  He will replenish our jar with what we need because His love is the gift that keeps on giving!

The beautiful blessing is knowing that we never have to worry about scraping the bottom of the jar for God’s love because it never will run out.

Be honest with God. He knows what you need, but He loves it when we trust Him enough to ask. Click To Tweet