Rudy, Seabiscuit, Rocky, all stories filled with a beaten down underdog who makes an all-glorious comeback. The defeated underdog with a remarkable comeback story is nothing new, but they never fail to inspire us! Since the time of stuttering Moses vs powerful Pharaoh, blind Samson vs the strong Philistines, and young David vs giant Goliath, God is a God of comebacks; and He always has a special grace for the underdog.
In 1 Kings 17 we meet an underdog of her own right – a destitute widow with one son, living in a time of great famine. The irony is in the backstory at the beginning of the chapter. God directly provides sustenance for Elijah by sending ravens to bring him food every morning and evening (v 4-6). A strange turn of events occurs when the Almighty God of creation sends Elijah to furthermore be cared for by a lowly, weak, unimpressive widow. When Elijah meets her, he quickly learns her poor state when he asks her for a cup of water and a piece of bread. She responds with a snarky attitude, explaining to the prophet that she has one meal left for her and her son to share before they die of starvation (v 12).
Imagine the despairing situation she was currently in – living in starvation, a young son to take care of, no sources of income, no family, no caretaker, no hope, and one meager meal left – and now God asks her to give the last bit of food she has to a stranger. The audacity! She was at the end of her rope and God asks her to let go. She was at her absolute lowest and God asks her to keep digging. She was at her most empty state and God asks her to pour herself out. Have you noticed that it’s the times when we feel as though we have nothing, that God asks us to give something?
One reason we love a triumphant underdog story is because deep down we all want the hope of knowing that the down and out can get back up. In every underdog story a great exchange takes place: it’s the exchange of weakness to strength, of loss to gain. The widow giving up her last meal represents this very exchange – it’s the exchange of what she had for what she needed.
The widow gave everything she had, and in doing so, gained everything God had. Her jar of flour never ran dry and her jug of oil was never used up. Only in Jesus can we give away all we have and still end up with more – she was a recipient of God’s provision, faithfulness, and abundance. Just like the widow, God is asking us to give him what we have in exchange for what we need. God wants our little so He can make it much out of the storehouse of His riches. God wants every last ounce of energy to raise our kids well and He will give us a bounty of sustaining grace. He wants our diligence at the job we don’t like and He will give us favor and long-suffering character. He wants our humble endurance to care for a sick loved one and He will give us a heart with a greater capacity for joy and compassion. By giving God every last part of us we are telling Him, and others, that our full trust, confidence, hope, and faith is in the One who multiplies the lack, heals the hurt, gives strength for weakness, and joy for sorrow.
Maybe you feel like the underdog in your own story, confronted with fear, hopelessness, desperation, and doubt, and God is asking you to give your last meal. If we find ourselves laying down our last before God with trepidation, let us remember that He is the Author of the greatest comeback story of all time. From day one Jesus was the underdog in a world that was against him in the form of physical, spiritual, and emotional persecution. Everything from his lineage, conception, lifestyle, friends, ministry, and death was met with disapproval, criticism, and denunciation. But because Jesus gave his last dying efforts to live for God, God gave Him resurrection life! In the same way, as we willingly give the last of what we have to God, He will give us “abundantly above all we could ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).