SCRIPTURE
1 Kings 17:1-16 (NRSV)
God feeds the widow of Zarephath
Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." The word of the Lord came to him, saying, "Go from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." So he went and did according to the word of the Lord; he went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the wadi. But after a while the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you." So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink." As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." But she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth." She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
DEVOTION
For days now we have been reading about the supernatural provision of God, for God’s people. In today’s reading I am especially touched by God’s provision for the widow who lived in Zarephath.
Now, scripture doesn’t say why this woman was a widow. It doesn’t explain to us how she came to be alone in the world with a son. It doesn’t detail the hardships such an arrangement would entail. But, we do know enough about Biblical history to know that a woman, without a husband, would have been very, very vulnerable even under the best of circumstances. With the addition of a son, it would have been even harder to survive even in good times.
But, today we learn that it was not the best of circumstances, nor was it good times for drought had fallen on the land. The widow of Zarephath was down to her last meal and had made up her mind to boldly, bravely, and realistically face the impending death of her little family!
Well, God had other plans for her, as God often does--plans not to harm us but to give us a future and a hope!
Although this widow woman probably felt very alone, she was not truly alone. God knew, loved, and saw her. God was concerned about her situation and God was already intervening to answer her prayers even as she was giving up!
My Lord! Isn't it great to have a saving relationship with God?! It is clear that the widow woman knew and loved God because when Elijah asked to share her last meal, she gladly do so--by faith!
This brave and faithful woman had no proof that her meal and oil would not run out. She had no scientific evidence that God would do what Elijah said God would do. All she had was a “take no prisoners and make no excuses kind of faith” that was willing to give all--and risk all--to be obedient to God.
I wonder how many people reading GOOD NEWS today are facing desperate circumstances. I wonder how many of us are willing to step out in faith and trust God even when the situation seems most dire. I wonder how many of us are willing to obey God’s commands, no matter how crazy or radical they may sound.
Well, my friends let me tell you—God has never failed me yet! Since God loves us so much that God gave us Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life; we can be sure that God will provide every other good gift that we truly need.
It is my testimony and experience that God is exceedingly and abundantly able to do much more than we would ever dare to hope or imagine, if we will but put all of our hope in God.
God will supply all of our need according to God’s riches in glory!
So go ahead, make a Holy Ghost fool of yourself in front of your friends and family! Step out on faith and give God the best of what you have, trusting and obeying God’s Word, and believing in God's supernatural ability to provide! I can't wait to hear your praise reports!
Will you ask God to make provision for you today? If so, please pray with me:
Holy God, thank you that you are well able to supply all of my needs. Today, I come asking you to do the impossible for me. I trust that it is Your good pleasure to help me! I don't know how you are going to rescue me; but I believe by faith that You will. I await your instructions and pledge to obey you in faith. I pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html
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