You Will Never Have Enough
Edwin Friesen
Until you give some away – you will never have enough, you will never know contentment, you will never feel rich, you will never feel truly grateful. You can earn more, possess more, and yet still feel impoverished unless you open your hand and begin to share.
This truism begs the question. Do you give and then await God’s blessing or does God bless and then you give? Actually the Bible promotes both approaches. The Old Testament tithe was based of what was already received (Lev 27:30-33) which was generally regarded as God’s share, ‘the sacred portion’ (Deut 26:13) even before it was given.
At the same time there are many Biblical stories and teachings where the gift was offered first and once the gift was released, God stepped in with the blessing (Mk 6:32-44). Naturally we want to receive God’s blessing first and then do our giving but what if God asks us to give first and then await his blessing.
Remember the Bible story of Elijah, the starving widow, and her son (1Kings 17)? The God-initiated famine was severe in the village of Zarephath in Israel. God was putting the squeeze on wicked king Ahab and the rest of the population was trapped in the same net of suffering. Times were desperate and starvation was stalking the widow and her son. They only had enough oil and flour for one last batch of pancakes and then . . . starvation.
The widow is collecting twigs to make a fire to fix their last supper when Elijah appears, interrupts her thoughts, and asks for a cup of water. And while she is at it, could she also bring him a bite of bread as well. The widow hesitates, as we all would. To give away her only meal seems illogical. She pleads her case and says that she has only enough for flour and oil for one last meal for herself and her son.
Elijah responds by saying “Don’t be afraid! . . . Bake me a little loaf of bread first. Afterward there will still be enough food for you and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: There will always be plenty of flour and oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” (1Kings 17:13-14) With this reassurance, the widow proceeds to make a meal for Elijah and the rest, as we say, is history. “For no matter how much they used, there was always enough left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.” (1Kings 17:16) In fact, her salvation from starvation lay in sharing. Her act of giving would unleash God’s provision.
The thought of giving evokes fear. For the widow to let go of the meal in hand and trust the invisible God to provide must have been a real struggle. “Don’t be afraid!” says Elijah. But how do we address the fear that we may not have enough? What if the car needs major unexpected repairs? What if the furnace goes? What if I live to be 100? What if I lose my job? What if . . . ?
The fear of not having enough is real and can paralyze our best intentions. Trusting God is a lot easier when we have a full wallet. But unless we learn to trust God for our current and future needs, we will remain in self-inflicted captivity.
It is in giving that we discover gratitude which is both the motivation and the reward of generosity. It is in giving that we break the bondage of greed and selfishness. Giving opens the door for God’s blessings to flow into our lives, and from us to others. It is in giving that we discover we have enough!
First published in 2007