The Extra Chair from the Basement

I think every family has one. Maybe it's in the office or the spare bedroom -- wherever. It's the chair we pull out when we've got an extra mouth to feed. "Get the extra chair from the basement," someone yells, and we sit it right alongside the rest of the chairs at our table. We welcome our guest to eat whatever is served, as much as they'd like, and join with us in our conversation, our laughter, our sometimes questionable table manners, our "family time."

Today, the extra chair came out of the basement. Not a huge stretch when you've got a family of six to feed everyday, but it is a blessing when one of yours comes home. Thing is, I hadn't really planned. Last week was a whirlwind of activity and emotion; grocery shopping and meal prep took a backseat to much of what was going on. So, we opened the fridge, surveyed the meager inventory of leftovers, formed a rainbow of plastic containers across the table, and sat down to eat. Not one person went away hungry, and we still had left over leftovers.

Just this morning, I was reading about another dinner guest. In 1 Kings 17:8-16. the prophet Elijah was commanded to leave Brook Cherith and go to Zarephath, about eighty miles away. God had commanded a widow there to provide for him. By the time he arrived, the widow was at the gate of the city, gathering sticks to build a fire. It was to be her last, as the widow and her young son were on the verge of starvation: she was baking one final bread cake and preparing for death. But, Elijah said, (I am paraphrasing) "No worry. Just make my small cake first; then you and your son can eat what's left." What man of God takes the last bit of food from a starving widow and her child?! But there was a promise: "The Lord God of Israel says, 'The bin of flour will not be used up, nor the jar of oil run dry, until the Lord sends rain on the earth.'"

"So, she went away and did according to the word of Elijah." And what was the result? "She and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry." Because of her obedience? Obey and be blessed, right? Yes, but let's not be simplistic. This poor woman got "the extra chair from the basement." She didn't question Elijah's presence. Why in the world would God send to her, a widow, another mouth to feed?! Widows were typically cared for -- not the other way around. And there was a famine in her land! We don't see a struggle over the jar of oil. That handful of flour, the puddle of oil in the bottom of her jar, were all that stood between her son and death! Who was this man to take that from her? But she held it all loosely. Like the widow in Luke 21:1-4 -- "she, out of her poverty, put in all the livelihood she had."

You know, when I'd first read the widow's response to Elijah's request, I'd thought of it as a bit of refusal; but perhaps it was more like this: "When your God first told me to provide for you, I wanted to -- I really did. But that was so long ago. You took so long in getting here, and things took such a turn for the worse, I've got nothing left. How am I to help when I have so little that I am planning my death and the death of my son?" None of that came as any surprise to God, however. The widow's willingness to care for others, despite her material circumstances, created the opportunity for God to provide for her and all that were in her home.

Today, a blessing in our home brought "the extra chair from the basement." When hearts are willing and hands are open, that extra chair can bring blessing for many days.