I wonder if there was anyone who might see clearly that the Lord has provided in quantity but question its quality. If so, the issue isn’t so much with the power of God; it’s with the love and care of God.

The Bible is full of stories of the provision of God. God provides sons, food, deliverance, hope, and money. Take, for example, the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarapheth in 1 Kings 17. God’s prophet announced that because of the idolatry in the land, the Lord would be withholding rain. We read later that it was at least three years between the declaration and when the rain started to fall, and during that time, God provided for the needs of Elijah through a widow.

Ironically, though, she didn’t have much to give:

When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow woman gathering wood. Elijah called to her and said, ‘Please being me a little water in a cup and let me drink.’ As she went to get it, he called to her and said, ‘Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.’

But she said, ‘As the Lord your God lives, I don’t have anything baked – only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die’ (1 Kings 17:10-12).

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