“When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, “Truly, the Lord is in this place and I did not know it.”
Genesis 28:16 ( NIV)
Everyone experiences some type of scarcity at some point in their lives. A scarcity could refer to something other than a financial or material undersupply. There are scarcities of health, hope, love, peace, courage, and the list could go on.
God has met people in a special way, while they were in a place of scarcity. If we look at examples through scripture, when anyone struggled for lack of something, their faith was rewarded in a special way by a manifestation of God’s presence.
Jacob was fleeing from his twin brother, Esau, who sought to kill him and take back his birthright, after he traded it for a bowl of stew, in a moment of hunger. Jacob was living like a fugitive, trying to escape his brother’s vengeance. He was living with a scarcity of peace and security.
Sometimes we are not aware that God is right here with us, in our moments of anxiety and insecurity. When Jacob laid down to sleep one night, he dreamed of a ladder or stairway that led to heaven. God met him in that dream, telling him He would be with him and watch over him wherever he goes, promising to bring him back to this land. God confirmed that Jacob would live, and that his descendants would have their own nation, the promised land. Jacob woke up and said, “Truly, the Lord is in this place and I did not know it,” and he found peace and security knowing everything was going to be alright.
During a drought and a famine, the prophet Elijah came to the house of a poor widow. He asked her to make him something to eat and in her scarcity of food, she used the last of her flour and oil to feed the prophet. By taking what she had and giving it to the prophet of God, she was giving her scarcity to God. His presence was manifested over those jars of flour and oil, they never became empty again. When we bring whatever we lack to God, He blesses us in our scarcity, in a lasting and special way.
Peter spoke to a poor, crippled beggar who had a scarcity of everything, health, financial and spiritual well being. Peter, himself, was scarce in money, and he said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Then taking him by the right hand, the man jumped to his feet and began to walk. The mention of Jesus’ name brought healing power to the body of a paralyzed man. Peter gave what simple faith he had, and Jesus met the crippled beggar in his scarcity that day.
When family friends of Mary ran out of wine, early on in their wedding celebration, God already was present at that wedding feast in the person of Jesus. He took the jars of water and changed them into wine. It was His first public miracle, and it all started with scarcity, and in this case it was a scarcity of wine. The guests marveled that the best quality wine was served last.
When God comes to us in our scarcity, He brings quality blessings with Him. The scarcity of wine led to the first miracle, which led to the first public awareness that the Messiah was here, as Jesus changed water into top quality wine.
We also may not know God is right here with us, while we are looking at our lack, in some form of empty jars, weak, crippled legs, or listening to threatening words. He will give us His peace as He gave it to Jacob, through his dream. When we give our scarcity to God, as the widow did, He replenishes our emptiness, as He did with her jars. We serve a God who transformed water into top quality wine, and brought healing and salvation to a crippled man, all in the name of Jesus.
The bridal party was a platform used to first introduce Jesus, the Messiah, to the world, and it all began through a scarcity of wine. The world is full of scarcities and God is still trying to introduce Jesus to the world today.
We never know how God will show up in our personal scarcity, but we know that His mercies are present for us in new ways each day.
(Lamentations 3:22-23)
Lord, we bring our scarcity to you and trust you will meet us where we are. Whether it’s financial, health related, or a scarcity of security, peace, patience, courage, hope or love, Jesus, please fill us with whatever we are lacking. We say as Jacob said, “Truly the Lord is in this place and I did not know it.”
Amen