Author: Dawn

^{1 Kings 17:8-24}

⁸ Then the Lord said to Elijah, ⁹ “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”

¹⁰ So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” ¹¹ As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”

¹² But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”

¹³ But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”

¹⁵ So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. ¹⁶ There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

¹⁷ Some time later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died. ¹⁸ Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?”

¹⁹ But Elijah replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the child’s body from her arms, carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body on his bed. ²⁰ Then Elijah cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, why have you brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?”

²¹ And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.”²² The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived! ²³ Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look!” he said. “Your son is alive!”

²⁴ Then the woman told Elijah, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the Lord truly speaks through you.”

This is very encouraging. It really touches my heart because not only was this woman a widow, but she was also a single parent who obviously was in the midst of some serious struggles. After all, she said in verse twelve that she and her son were going to eat their last meal and die. I believe that even in the midst of her dire circumstances,  her heart was still in the right place and her ears were open to the voice of the Lord. The reason I believe that, is because when the opportunity to make a difference came along, she willingly accepted the challenge. She chose to help someone and be a blessing. She could have easily hung on to the little she had and made an excuse not to give. She could have chosen to operate in self-pity, but instead she willingly chose to obey God and give anyway.

Throughout this passage of scripture, we see God’s supernatural provision. We see that God can use anyone for his purposes, regardless of who you are, where you come from, what you do or don’t have, but the key is obedience. Elijah obeyed and went where God told him to go, and the woman obeyed and she gave what God told her to give. They could not see the end result, they just walked by faith and trusted that God would do what he had promised. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we walk by faith and not by sight.”

The woman first gave bread to Elijah, this was her offering to God. This offering to God was the portion that she sacrificed and gave away. She then kept the rest for herself and her son. After she obeyed God by giving to Elijah, God worked a miracle. He had promised her that there would always be flour and olive oil left in her containers and that is exactly what happened. Verse 16 says that there was always enough. In verses 17-24 we also find out the woman’s son became sick and died. Elijah ended up praying over him and he was raised back to life! I can’t imagine how different this story would have been if she had not been willing to open her home to Elijah and share what she had with him. She would have missed out on a whole lot,  including seeing her son raised back to life. However the same is true with us, if we don’t take the steps of faith we need to take, no telling what we will be missing out on in our lives.

I am so inspired by this woman who was willing to open her heart by sacrificing the little she had so she could please God and experience “the more” that he had for her. In fact, after meditating on these verses, I begin to wonder if maybe she had been mentioned in the “faith hall of fame” (Hebrews chapter 11), so I went to investigate. I was delighted to find her in this simple sentence in Hebrews 11:35, “Women received their loved ones back again from death.” This widow is counted among the women who received their loved ones back from death. In the beginning this woman said she and her son were going to die, but after she obeyed God her situation turned around completely and went from death to life in more ways than one! Not only did she have the food she needed to sustain her family, but the Lord literally raised her son from the dead after he had become sick and died. Even after all of that, I would imagine the greatest reward was the personal encounters she had with the Living God and the way her faith grew as a result. After she went through these trials and test she knew without a doubt that God was at work in her life, because she made the following statement to Elijah in verse 24, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the Lord truly speaks through you.”

 Elijah told her in verse thirteen not to be afraid. He knew that fear could keep them both from experiencing the blessings God had in store. These verses remind us to ask God often to show us any of the things that we may be hanging on to, no matter how small they may be, that he needs us to let go of that are keeping us from experiencing His blessings. When God tells us to take a step of faith and give of ourselves, we can’t let fear hold us back. When we are afraid, we can ask God to help us to move forward and He will. Every day we can choose to be obedient to the Lord. This widow has set an example to us through her faith and trust in the Lord, that when we do choose obedience, our containers will never run dry.

Father,

Thank you for your provision and the miracles we experience when we choose to obey you. Like Elijah and this woman please help us not to be afraid to follow the path you have set before us, even when we do not understand all of the details. As we learn to trust you may our containers overflow with the peace, joy, fulfillment and abundant blessings that come from a life lived in total submission and obedience to your will. We don’t want to miss out on your best for us dear Lord, but most of all we don’t want to miss out on You. It’s not just about what you do for us, but it’s about who you are and the amazing privilege we have to draw closer to you each day. The closer we draw to you, the more we know you and the more we know you the more complete our lives become.

In the name of Jesus we pray,

Amen.

Psalm 16:8(ESV)

 I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

 “I have set the Lord always before me”, when I read that statement it seems to me the Psalmist is saying that he intentionally always makes the Lord first in his life. He has set the Lord before all things concerning himself. As a result he knew he would not be shaken.

The word Security recently came to my mind. Many people find security in different ways. But for me, I have found the most security in knowing, like the Psalmist, that the Lord is always before me. Therefore, I will not be shaken. Having an intimate relationship with Christ is something that no one can take away, and he never changes, the Bible says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Worldly possessions can be lost to include status, money, job, or even the ability to exercise a gift or a talent can come to a halt. Not to mention the fact that even people can come and go. Overtime physical looks will even change; the Bible says, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.” (Proverbs 31:30). Also Jeremiah 17:7, “Blessed is the man who trust in the Lord…” Whatever we can come up with to give us a feeling of security other than the Lord, can be lost.

I was recently thinking about how insecurity can even cause us not to walk in God’s purpose for our lives. When we look around there will always be someone with more of something, someone who is better at something or something we want but don’t have. But I am learning to only focus on what God has for me. I realize that God holds all things in his hand because Colossians 1:16, says, “For by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him. “So I remind myself often that true success comes only when I pursue the portion of the “all things” that God specifically designed for me. I don’t want to waste time focusing on the portion of the “all things” that he has for others (envy) or the portion of the “all things” I think I must have right away that he has not given to me (discontentment).

Every day we must make an intentional decision to seek the Lord and find out what he has specifically designed for our lives because that unique design is his purpose for us (Psalm 138:8 says, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me…”). There is such contentment and security in knowing God loves you and that he sees your life from beginning to end. Each day is a gift from him. He belongs to you and you belong to him. We are his people and he is our God. There is not one day we can live that is not included in his plan for us. Truthfully, there are times we all feel insecure about something but the thing for us to do is to refocus our thoughts on who Christ is and who we are in Him. We can cast down those ungodly thoughts when they arise to steal our joy. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,”. The next time you find yourself wrestling with insecurity always remember who God says you are in his Son, Jesus Christ, because when our foundation and security are in Christ, we will not be shaken by anyone or anything.

Dear Father,

Thank you that when we set you always before us, we will not be shaken! There are so many things in the world going on to draw our attention away from you, the One who created all things. Help us to refocus whenever we are distracted and to seek you above all else. Teach us by your Holy Spirit to find our security in you alone and to walk only in your purpose for our lives. Help us not to envy others but to be thankful for others and the good they do in the world. Thank you for willingly giving us the portion of good things that you have for us and teaching us to be content and trust your timing. We love you Father. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Keep Resting Secure in Jesus

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

When I woke up this morning this verse came to my mind and I begin to meditate on God’s forgiveness. There have been times in my life when I struggled to receive his forgiveness when I had sinned even though he was faithful to forgive me as the scripture tells us. I remember some time ago the Holy Spirit begin to teach me through the Word of God the importance of accepting God’s forgiveness in order to move forward in life and walk into all that God has for me. As he taught me,  it was as if he was illuminating the beautiful sacrifice that Christ had made on the cross and what it really meant for my life. I begin to see my own selfishness and pride for not fully accepting the finished work of Christ and I begin to understand the fact that his blood had indeed covered the very sins I struggled to forgive myself for. There was no amount of “works” I could do to compensate for my sins, only his blood could get the job done. When we struggle with unforgiveness against ourselves for sins we have committed we hinder the work of God in our lives because we can’t see past ourselves and the wrong we did. Even now today, I am learning to quickly repent when I sin and to just receive God’s forgiveness. Whenever I find this to be a struggle, I simply ask him to help me and he does. He will always give us the help we need when our motive is to do his will and give him the glory.

Sin, no matter how big will never be bigger than our Savior, Jesus Christ. When we confess our sins to him he is faithful and just to forgive us.

Prayer:

Father,

Thank you for your faithfulness to forgive us when we sin. Help us to be quick to repent when we sin and to not make excuses or blame others for our mistakes. Show us areas where we need to repent that we may not even be aware of. When you show us help us to receive the forgiveness you offer and please work in our lives to bring the needed changes and help us to be willing to make the changes as you show us. Lord please also help us to forgive ourselves as you have forgiven us so that we can enjoy the life you have given us. In the name of Jesus, Amen.