Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath: A Prayer

Lord, we look into the bowl of our lives
and it seems so empty.
The jar of oil has run out;
We have nothing to give,
Nothing to share,
Nothing with which to feed the hungry,
or heal the wounded.

Sometimes we pray as the widow of Zarephath perhaps prayed:
“Oh, no, Lord. Don’t send anyone else.
There’s nothing left to give.”

Lord, forgive our complaints about how empty the bowl is,
our failure to delight in what you have put into our lives.
Forgive our attempts to hoard what you have given us;
Because, Lord, your promises are for today,
not for tomorrow.

You said we should pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
And, while things have sometimes been really tough,
there has always been enough:
Enough food and drink—
often more than enough to share;
Enough joy to give to a neighbour, to a stranger.

You have given us healing, friends, fellow travellers;
those who worship with us today.
And above all, an abundance of your love,
generously, extravagantly given.
Sometimes you pour your love over us;
Sometimes it comes to us through friends and strangers.

Lord, we have so much to give.
Fill our hearts to overflowing
with the generous love of your Spirit.
And in our families, in our neighbourhoods,
in our workplaces,
give us the courage to feed the hungry,
to heal the sick, to restore the broken,
and to allow your Spirit to breathe new life,
new hope and new joy.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen

(Inspired by 1 Kings 17: 8-16)

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