I Kings 17:8-24
This passage of Scripture was the one that inspired me to begin writing a book about my journey through widowhood. I am not sure when I will finish it, but I will—Lord willing. It is almost there but is not quite there yet.
Our pastor was teaching through the Bible during Sunday school one morning, and he was in the book of I Kings. That morning, I was a little distracted. As he was teaching through this book, he stopped in this passage. I do not remember whether he was actually teaching about the widow of Zarephath in particular, but MY attention was drawn to her that morning.
I do not usually do this during Sunday school, but I began to make my own notes about this particular passage in the margins of my Bible. I was making my own Bible study right there in Sunday school! I tuned out the pastor and let God talk to me. As I re-read this passage, I was reminded of the points about which God had spoken to me that day.
God already had a plan for this widow.
In verse 9, God told Elijah to go to Zarephath where he would be well taken care of because God had already …commanded a widow woman there to sustain… him. Further into the passage, we see that she did not know at that point that God was going to use her.
So many times, we who are widows think that God is done with us and that He will never use us again. However, that is not true. God has a plan for everything He does in our lives. When He closes one chapter in our lives, He has already written the next one. We just do not see it yet. Although we may feel as though our worlds have ended because of the passing of our husbands, God still has a plan for us.
This widow was going about her every-day routine when Elijah arrived.
In verse 10, we see that she was gathering sticks. She was oblivious to what the Lord had in store for her! She had no idea that God was going to use her to help and to bring encouragement to the man of God. She was just thinking about preparing the next meal for herself and her son. She was doing what she had always done.
As widows, we cannot afford the luxury of feeling sorry for ourselves for too long or of throwing in the towel. It is so important to stay faithful, to be in our places every Sunday, and to stay close to church and to God’s people. We may not realize it, but being in our places and staying in church not only helps us but also encourages those around us, including the pastor. God seems to enjoying using us when we least expect it. If we do not remain faithful, we will miss out.
This woman felt as though she had nothing left to give.
She could not see past her present circumstances. In verses 10-11, Elijah asked her for some water and some food. As she was going to get the water, she was honest with Elijah and told him that she had very little to offer him and that, in fact, she was just getting ready to prepare a little food for herself and her son. She did not really know what she was going to do after that. She was in such despair that she thought it was going to be their last meal.
So many times, a widow feels that she will never make ends meet! She feels inadequate to care for her family and thinks she is unable to continue to give to or to participate in the church as she did when her husband was alive. She feels that what she has is just never enough. I know I felt this way in my own life, especially during that first year. I struggled at every turn. Just when I thought I had a handle on things, something else went wrong. However, it is in these times when God shows Himself to us.
Elijah encouraged her to tend to the things of God first.
Elijah was very compassionate with her as he listened to her plight and allowed her to voice what was inside her heart. Then, he said in verses 13-14, …Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail,… Elijah was not being selfish here. He was encouraging her to continue to serve the Lord and to use what she had to put God first. He knew if she served him first, God would bless her. He was looking out for her best interests.
I have found in my own life that everything else just falls into place when I put God and others first and focus on keeping my spiritual life right. God knows what is best for me, and He will never let me down. He is constant and true, no matter what is going on around me.
God was faithful and supplied her needs.
In verse 15, we see that what Elijah told her in verse 14 came true! God did not let her down. The Bible says, And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
As widows, we need to make sure that we, in our grief and sorrow, do not put God on the shelf while we try to figure things out on our own. If we put Him first, He will bless us. When God speaks to us in our sorrow, we should listen to Him. We may not see how things are going to work out, but they always do.
As we continue to read about this widow and the time that Elijah spent in Zarephath, we see that she still experienced great trials and times of doubt in her life. In time, we can learn to get up and to continue serving the Lord, despite our circumstances; however, that does not mean we will not encounter other trials and difficulties after our grief has passed.
In the verses that follow, we see that her son became ill and also died. Because of this, she began to doubt the Lord again. She spoke out to Elijah and asked him why God was allowing these things to happen. She did not want to have anything to do with Elijah. In her grief, she began to doubt the choices she had made to stay faithful to God. Once again, God showed Himself faithful and, through Elijah, gave her another reason to praise Him.
Dear lady, there will always be times throughout your journey when you will feel as though God and others have forgotten about you. You will feel as though things are crashing in all around you; and yes, you will doubt whether God is really there. During these times, remember this dear widow in I Kings who, having lost all hope, found the strength she needed to keep her eyes on God and to keep moving!
by April Hernandez