Thursday, November 8, 2012

The Way Things Appear

Commanded to go to Zarephath, Elijah makes an 80-100 mile trip from Cherith to his new destination. Worn from travel and likely dehydrated, he carries a strong promise that a widow will provide for him there. He arrives at the city gate. There is indeed a widow there but she doesn’t seem to know he is coming.

She gathers a couple of sticks as Elijah asks her for a cup of water. As she goes for the water he further requests a small morsel of bread. We learn of her plight. She has only a handful of flour in her bin and a little oil in a jar. She will cook this final meal for herself and her son and then they will die.

In addition to not knowing he would come, she also does not seem to have God’s promised supplies. Was Elijah shaken, even tempted to ask the Lord if he really arrived at the right place? Things appear very different between what God had told him and the way things were.

Despite appearances Elijah remembers how God had supplied at Cherith. Having experienced that strengthens him to trust God for the impossible situation before him. Elijah does not wait long before God’s word comes. He instructs the widow not to fear, but to make a small cake for him first and afterward to feed herself and her son. A test of faith for him also means a test of faith for her. He promises "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 17:14).

God’s assurances often test our faith. Our perception does not always match what we believe He has said to us. These continuous examinations throughout life reveal our heart’s state. Elijah’s life points us to the attitude we must have. Will we trust the Lord or the way things appear? 
 

 

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