Have you ever been in an impossible
situation? The account of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath shows us a lot
about how we should respond when placed in difficult or truly impossible
circumstances.
Looking for Lunch
In the account of 1 Kings 17:8-16, Elijah
was fresh out of water because the brook he was drinking from dried up. It
dried up because he, Elijah, pronounced a 3 ½ year drought on Israel. “And
Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord
God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these
years, except at my word.”” 1 Kings 17:1. Then God sends the prophet to stay by
the Brook Cherith to have a source to drink from and to be fed by ravens, by
whom He sent food for Elijah. Of course because of the drought the brook dried
up. It was then that The Lord directed him to the widow saying, “I have
commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
Hunger, Meet Hopeless
I wonder if Elijah was shocked to see the
woman who, along with her son, was starving to death. The man of God did not
seem to be phased. He told her to bring him a piece of bread and she said, “As
the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin,
and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I
may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” 1
Kings 17:12.
If you were Elijah what would you be
thinking? “God told me to come here and get food. This woman is
obviously in complete despair without any provisions. She’s given up and is
backed into a corner with no one to help her and no supermarket to run to. Why
am I here again?”
To hear her act out in frustration is
totally understandable. The widow had a physical and a spiritual need. She’d
lost hope for herself and her son. Death to her would be better than the
struggle they were enduring.
A Hidden Blessing
In 1982 when I was called to the Bible
Speaks’ mission team in France. The team leader, Pastor Louis DeMeo, was
promised by one of his contacts the use of a house in Auxerre France for a
year. The team was to rendezvous in the south of France for two weeks to
evangelize with a church group there, and then return to Auxerre to begin
church planting.
On his way to the south Louis decided to
stop at Auxerre to check out our new home. To his surprise someone was living
in what turned out to be a 2 room house, and they had no plans to leave! We
truly felt like the Lord called us to France but when we got there the comfort
we had expected quickly disappeared.
God still had a provision for us. What
seemed like a handful of flour and a slow death turned into a mighty provision
that sustained us. With the help of gracious French Christians we got our footing
in France . We were given a place to live for free for several months and then
we were able to rent a large house for what amounted to about $200.00 per
month. I don’t recall hearing a word of complaint to God for putting us in a
situation where we had to trust Him and His people. Both came through when we
needed them.
Just the Facts
These are the facts that confronted Elijah:
He was given a precise command to go to and
live in Zarephath.
A widow there was to provide food for him.
The widow he was sent to was starving and
had but a few ounces of flour and a few drops of oil.
The promised provision was not out in plain
sight but hidden.
The situation seemed hopeless.
The Just Shall Live By Sight?
A big problem in the 21st century church is
spiritual starvation because of a lack of dependence on God. We’re used to
having what we need and having it when and where we want it.We can’t miss our coffee break let alone experience famine! Many walk by sight and not by faith, appreciating the professionalism of the church and the nice amenities it has to offer. Like the Laodicean church of Revelation chapter 3, many are rich in Christian platitudes but lukewarm in their faith.
As disciples we have to be
careful not to fall into a life that never experiences need. Much of the
Christianity we see on TV, hear on the radio and live in our congregations
seems to be religion without a cross, where we are not God’s servants, but He
is ours. Some churches have monetized faith, exhorting believers to speak
material blessings into being, as if The Lord was a genie waiting to grant our
every wish. And why not think that way? Huge ministries abound, advertising all
the answers we need from how to raise the perfect child, to experiencing an
awesome sex life, to never lacking money to pay a bill, or growing a
mega-church in three easy steps.
This is why we can’t get too caught up with
celebrity ministers; as good as they look and sound. They are all about their
ministry, whatever that is. I mean, they are good! They look good and sing well
and are phenomenal preachers. Some are so cool their messages are like Ice
Cream Sundaes with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
Small Screen Faith
Your call is to your
neighborhood, city, state and country, your continent and to parts of
the world you’ve never been to. You aren’t called to serve a personality on a screen. You are called to love your neighbor and lay down your life for your friends.
Don’t trust the purveyors of Big Screen Churchianity. They seem more interested
in flying their private jets, speaking about the positive influence the Bible
can have on your health, or how God doesn’t want you to struggle in life. The
message usually lacks commitment and sacrifice and minimizes sin. We can’t make
light of sin because in doing so we diminish the sacrifice of Jesus on the
cross. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that
He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the
Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18. Never devalue His
sacrifice, for without it we are all lost. If we don’t tell people the truth,
who will? Ours is a small screen faith; meeting people at the place of their
need and teaching them to depend on Jesus.
You’re Kidding Right?
What went through the mind of the widow
when Elijah spoke to her? “Here I am
ready to eat my last piece of bread with my son and along comes this so called
Man of God asking me to feed him first. Earth to Elijah, what part of “a hand
full of flour” don’t you understand?” It’s not that the widow wanted to die, or
didn’t want to believe, she just needed a reason to believe. She needed a word
spoken to her that would nourish confidence.
When God comes to us and asks for something
we don’t have, what do we do? What kind of God would ask me for a third of my
last dollar? What kind of Lord would tell me to share something when I don’t
have enough for myself?
Ministry calls us to faith. Our need is
what we need most. The widow feared until she began to walk in obedience to the
words of the Man of God. Ultimately Elijah needed to be put in a place of
faith, and the woman needed to see his faith in action. A little water and a
piece of bread sounds like nothing, except when it’s all you have.
“And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go
and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it
to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The
bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the
day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’” 1 Kings 17:13-14.
“Do not fear,” Elijah said to the woman.
Here’s a lady that was barely holding onto life, and the Man of God said “do
not fear.” What is the Man of God saying to you today? Are you willing to be
obedient to the words of a man who is obedient to the Word of God?
A History
Elijah was obedient to God to go to
Zarephath
He met a widow who had given up hope for
her and her son and wanted to die.
The widow was asked to give and to trust
that God would give her back what she needed.
The Lord made a promise through Elijah to
the woman that she would have all she needed.
She acted in faith, trusting the words of
the prophet, and God kept His promise.
The Giver Gives
God
gives us what we need when we need it. We may feel thin in the gifts
department. We may not be confident that the time we spent on earth was useful.
You might even think you can’t affect the world. The truth is that you need to
give God some of what you’ve got and let him make it into an everlasting source
of nourishment for you and those to whom you minister the Gospel of Jesus
Christ.
None of us have all the gifts. Some of us
don’t even know what our gift is. It doesn’t matter. If you are questioning
your call and are ready to quit, reflect on the promise Jesus made to the
Samaritan woman, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever
drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that
I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into
everlasting life.” John 4:13-14.
The widow, though she objected at first,
obeyed and served Elijah. As a result she was blessed with bread for as long as
the drought lasted. “So she went away
and did according to the word of Elijah; and 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, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.” 1 Kings
17:15-16.
Your Turn
One day someone was obedient to God and
came to you with a message. At that time you were dead in your trespasses and
sins. You were instructed to believe the words of the Man of God. Jesus made a
promise that if you gave Him your trust you would receive what you needed. You
did, and you acquired His gift of everlasting life.
Now it’s your turn. The world is waiting
for a real prophet to come with words of hope that will spur people to trust
and obedience. Be that prophet.
Kim Anthony Shibley
