Scripture to Read: 1 Kings 17:17–18
Elijah and the widow had both already faced a crisis of belief regarding God providing them with the food and water they needed to survive during the drought. Then, they faced another crisis of belief as the widow’s son became ill. It’s interesting how God led the writer to describe the condition of the widow’s son in 1 Kings 17:17, “Now it came about after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.” The boy’s illness killed him, but God’s Word describes it by saying “there was no breath left in him.” God had taken such good care of them, but now the widow’s son had died. Her response to Elijah is one of hopelessness, as she said in 1 Kings 17:18, “What do I have to do with you, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death!” She blamed Elijah at first, but then, she also blamed herself for her past sins. We’re not told what her sins had been, but her guilty memory was grieving her. She had seen God’s miraculous power through the never-ending flour and oil God had been providing, but she could not see God being willing to raise her son back up. The enemy loves to beat us down over our past, but God wants us to never forget His awesome provision of forgiveness and cleansing through Jesus Christ, our Lord and King.
Challenge & Application
How was Elijah’s and the widow’s faith in God first challenged, and then, how was their faith in God challenged again?
How has God challenged your faith in the past, and how did you see God work?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!