1 Kings 17: 12-16—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.
The story of the widow of Zarephath always fills me with
wonder. Zarephath was a town outside of
Israel, which means that the people living there were not Jewish. God sent Elijah, a Jewish prophet, there
during a time of great drought in the land.
This widow who takes Elijah into her home is destitute and has resigned
herself to death because she does not have enough food to feed herself and her
son. Yet, she obeys Elijah’s command to
give Elijah food first before she and her son eat. How is it that a Gentile woman in the Old
Testament has such faith to selflessly give away all the food she possesses to
benefit another? She was blessed for her
sacrificial faith, and the Lord provided for her and her family, just like He
provides for His people now.
Today as you pray and meditate on this Scripture, look deep
inside and ask yourself if you have faith like the widow of Zarephath. Pray for a spirit willing to put others ahead
of yourself, just as Christ put us ahead of Himself. Praise God for His
constant provision and for the blessings he has poured over you. Commit to using those gifts to carry forward
those blessings throughout His Kingdom and beyond.
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