Elijah is one of my favorite Old Testament characters. We can learn so much about God, life, and ourselves as we read about him.
In 1 Kings 17:1, he informed King Ahab that there would be no rain for several years, “except by my command.” That speaks of his confident relationship with God. The lack of rain caused a severe famine. In the third year of the drought, God told Elijah, “Go and present yourself to Ahab, I will send rain on the surface of the land,” and God did exactly that. (1 Kings 18:1)
Then the LORD told Elijah to go to the Wadi Cherith and hide out there. God told him “You are to drink from the wadi. I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” Once again Elijah experienced God’s faithfulness. I wonder how often we miss out on what God would do for us, simply because we don’t do what He asks, and trust Him.
In Proverbs 3:56 NLT, we read “Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Do not depend on your understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you the path to take.”
We are so prone to rationalize the promptings of the Holy Spirit and decide, ‘That just doesn’t make sense, I will do what I think is right.’ Let me remind you of what God said in Isaiah 55:8 NLT “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”
In Psalm 78:40-41 NKJV we read: “How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.” They forgot how He had delivered them from slavery in Egypt — the miraculous signs and wonders He had performed for them. We too are so prone to forget all that God has done for us and in that way, we limit Him and fail to see His ongoing faithfulness.
After about a year, at the Wadi Cherith, God led Elijah to Zarephath where he connected with a widow who had very little. (1 Kings 17:8-16)
He said to her “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.” But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”
Once again, Elijah displays his confidence in the LORD, as he says to her –
“Don’t be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first, make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son, for this is what the LORD God of Israel says, “The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day of the LORD sends rain on the surface of the land.” She did as he directed her and her supply was always there.
Not only did Elijah once again witness the faithfulness of God, but so did the widow and her son.
There is more to the story. For example, later in 1 Kings 17:17-24, we read how the widow’s son died and by faith, Elijah trusted the LORD to restore him to life and He did.
In closing this meditation, let me suggest several principles we can learn and live by:
God is concerned about all people. The widow was a pagan but eventually trusted in the LORD.
God honors those who put others first. This is hard because we have grown up in a “me first” culture. We want to put ourselves first.
At times, the LORD keeps us on the edge of uncertainty to develop our faith in Him. If we could just believe it always turns out for the good, we could rely on Him. In 2 Corinthians 5:7, we read, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” We are prone to walk by sight – not by faith.
I would remind us that there are many accounts like what I have just shared, all through the Bible. They are true stories of God’s faithful intervention. They build my faith, and I pray that is your experience. Like Paul, I pray that we will be able to say “I know how to make do with little and I know how to make do with a lot. In all circumstances, I have learned the secret of being content — whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:12-13)
I pray that I, along with all who read this meditation, will learn to rely on Him who is faithful.
For His glory,
Pastor Leonard
