1 Kings 17:8 says, And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, When the brook dried up, God's word came to Elijah once more. God will never leave us without our being provided for if we continue to put our faith in Him. If things begin to seem hopeless, we simply need to listen for God to tells us what to do next. Verse nine adds, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. God told Elijah to go to Zarephath in Zidon and stay there, because God had commanded a widow woman to provide for him. Widow women usually didn't have a lot, so it might seem strange that God would use a widow woman to provide for Elijah, but it really wasn't her, but God Himself, that was going to provide not only for Elijah, but for the widow woman and her son as well. Sometimes, we may believe that we aren't capable of helping others, but if God calls us to do so, He will also make a way for us to do it. Verse ten continues, So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. Elijah obeyed God's command, went to Zarephath, and saw a widow woman gathering sticks and asked her to get him some water. Since he had run out of water, this would have been an important thing to him, even before getting food. We as Christians always have the Living Water available to us, and if we are feeling down and defeated, we need to return to the Living Water again to be refreshed and renewed. Verse eleven states, And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. While the widow woman was going to get Elijah some water, he asked her to bring him a morsel of bread as well. He may have done this to see if she was the one God had sent him to, since as yet we see no indication that either had acknowledged that God had put them together. We at times may not be totally certain that we are exactly where God wants us to be, but we must still continue in faith as we seek clarification that we are. Verse twelve adds, And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. The woman said that she didn't have enough meal to make a cake, but only a handful of meal and a small amount of oil to make a what she could so she and her son could eat it and die. From what she said, we can assume that either God had not told her that He was going to use her to provide for Elijah, and therefore for herself and her son, or she hadn't believed Him. She was ready to give up. Even when we as followers of Christ are feeling that things are desperate in our own situation, if we are faithful to God, He will always meet our needs and may use us to help someone else at the same time as well. Verse thirteen continues, And Elijah said unto her, 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. Elijah told her not to fear, but to go and first make a little cake for him and then make one for her son and her. We might see this as Elijah being selfish, but I believe that he was seeing if she was willing to put others first and trust that she and her son would still be provided for. We always need to act in faith, even if it means putting the needs of others above our own needs when we ourselves seem to be without much reason to hope. Verse fourteen declares, For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. Elijah then shared some good news with her. God had said that she would not run out of meal and oil until He sent rain upon the earth. She still had to put her faith in Elijah telling her the truth. We are told to go and share the gospel with everyone, and no matter how hopeless their life may be, if they accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, they should never again be without hope. Verse fifteen adds, And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. She did as Elijah had asked her to do, and she, her son, and Elijah ate for many days from the nearly empty barrel of meal and cruise of oil. We are not told that the barrel of meal and cruise of oil were suddenly full. Living by faith in God is a day by day calling. We may not always see for sure that He is going to meet our needs in the future, but we must put our faith in the fact that He will and live our life accordingly. Verse sixteen continues, And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah. Since she and Elijah were faithful in doing what God had told them to do, He was faithful in doing what He had told Elijah He would do. They never ran out of meal and oil. The key to living a successful life spiritually is always going to be putting our faith in God and doing what He calls us to do, no matter what may be happening in our life at the time.
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