Someone has defined “faith” with the acrostic, “Forsaking All I Trust Him.” That’s certainly what happened with Elijah. He had forsaken all to trust God. After he confronted King Ahab and ridiculed his idol, Baal, he ran into the wilderness. But he had to trust God to provide for him in a desolate place.

Elijah had learned that God could provide for him, but he still had to learn that God could do the same for others as well. Life wasn’t simply about Elijah—he had to see the needs of a world of others and respond with concern for them. Elijah would learn that lesson in Zarephath.

 

A WOMAN’S TESTING

God sent Elijah to the widow of Zarephath. For the next 2 years, he would be supported by her—even though she was poor. Here was a Gentile woman who believed in the Lord (“as the Lord your God lives” [v.12]). Now Elijah called her to trust God’s promise by saying, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel” (v.14). How would she respond to the command of God to take her last small morsel of food and make a meal for Elijah? (vv.11-13).

This had to have been a huge test for her. Think about it. Elijah requested a meal and promised provisions (v.14), but he didn’t give her any evidence that he could keep his promise. She had two options:

• Eat the last of her food, believing that death was imminent.
• Trust Elijah’s promise that God would provide.

She had just met Elijah. She had no proof that God would keep Elijah’s promises. Would you give up your last meal? Remember:

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1).

The woman responded in faith to what she hoped for, yet could not see. “She went away and did according to the word of Elijah” (v.15). He asked her to feed him first, and when she obeyed, the God of provision blessed her.

God’s constant supply of grain and oil was a miracle. It pictures Jesus’ promise in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” She put God’s purposes first, and God graciously provided.

 

A FAMILY’S CRISIS

Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him.

How long Elijah had been living with the widow before her son became sick is uncertain. But in the meantime, God had been providing for all of them. Then the circumstances changed. The widow’s son fell seriously ill—so ill, in fact, that he stopped breathing and died.

There is no greater crisis for a mother than to see her child in danger. This widow’s only son was her one joy—and she lost him to an invisible enemy that she couldn’t fight against.

On the face of it, we say, “That’s not fair. She did everything right. She trusted, obeyed, had a servant’s heart. What more could she do?” If we think that trusting and obeying God exempts us from problems, we’re mistaken. God is not a genie in a bottle who does whatever we want at our bidding and at our convenience. God is totally good and all-powerful, but we don’t control Him. He doesn’t give us a blank check to spend as we see fit. Both Elijah and the widow had to learn that God is in control—and so must we. We must recognize and trust the purposes of God, even in the painful crises of life.

 

A MOTHER’S PAIN

So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?”

Look at the inner battle raging in her heart:

Anger. “What have I to do with you, O man of God?” Sadly, in times of pain, we often lash out at those closest to us—even those who have done much for us. It’s as if she said, “I wish you had never come.”

Guilt. “Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance?” This came from her suspicion that the proximity of a prophet enabled God to see her sins more clearly.

Blame. “And to kill my son?” We are not told why she thought God was judging her, but she was sure that her son’s death was payment for her sin.

 

A PROPHET’S COMPASSION

And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed (v.19).

Notice how tenderly Elijah responded to the heartache of this woman. He took the boy “out of her arms” and carried him to his own room where he could be alone with the boy and with his God.

Elijah’s Prayer. Look at Elijah’s prayer to God:

Then he cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?” And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him” (vv.20-21).

He prayed, pleading for mercy for this grieving mother. His first prayer (v.20) expresses his compassion for the widow who, after the famine, now had to suffer the loss of her child. In doing so, however, Elijah also displayed a mix of emotions.

Elijah’s Confusion. He was puzzled, openly questioning God about His purposes. Remember, Elijah was a man like us (Jas. 5:17), and we too are often confused by life. The good news is that God doesn’t reject our honest questions. It’s our arrogant demands that He refuses.

Even in the midst of his confusion, we see in Elijah’s second prayer (v.21) the evidence that he is learning to grasp the greatness of God. How? Consider this: Elijah was asking God for something that had never before happened in human history. There is no recorded instance from Genesis to 1 Kings 17 of God ever raising someone from the dead. Elijah was asking for something new in human experience. Why? Because he believed in a God who could do the impossible.

Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!” (vv.22-23).

God’s Answer. The hopes of the widow and Elijah were rewarded. Life returned to the boy. Imagine her joy as the woman saw her son—alive again! God’s purpose was now evident. Her sin was not the issue. God’s purpose was to stretch her and Elijah’s trust in God.

 

Applying It

It’s true that we can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to what happens to us.

• In times of crisis, are we learning to run to God’s presence and care?
• In times of crisis, are we learning to face anything that might be weakening our trust in God?
• In times of crisis, are we learning to trust in God’s will, not only for the future but also in the present?
• In times of crisis, are we learning to look to the power of the God of resurrection?