God's Care for the Travelling Minister

One day Elisha went to the town of Shunem. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. After that, whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for something to eat.
She said to her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy man of God. Let’s build a small room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.” 2 Kings 4:8-10

God provides.

The Old Testament prophets would be familiar with this concept. In 2 Kings, we find the prophet Elisha getting a little firsthand experience at how the Lord provides for His servants. Elisha met a woman who invited him home for dinner. That was very kind of her. She could have stopped there. But she felt compelled to do more, and said as much to her husband. If we continue to read this story, it is clear that the husband agreed, for a room was built where Elisha stayed on subsequent visits. It became a sort of occasional ministry headquarters for the prophet.

I am familiar with this concept. While no one has built a room on their roof for my family, many have made other provision for us when we travel through their area. Churches and families have installed special electrical outlets for us to pull up and plug in the house for a few days. People have opened their homes to us, invited us to dinner, cared for us in so many wonderful ways...

And so as 2009 comes to a close and we prepare to embark on Year 10 of full-time road life, I am humbled as I look at the Lord's gracious provision for my family over the years. It's always amazing to see the Lord at work, and sometimes a little frustrating as He seems to take pleasure in coming through just "in the nick of time". It's all part of that faith-growing journey, teaching us to understand what "give us this day our daily bread" really means.

So there's nothing really deep and theological about this thought. It's just really great to realize that the same God who took care of His travelling ministers in the Old Testament continues to care for my family and me today. And that is...

...Just a [wonderful] thought...