Elijah was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the time of King Ahab when the King and most of the people had turned away from God. In God’s grace He sent Elijah to King Ahab with a message: “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!” 1 Kings 17:1
Not long after this Elijah was told by the Lord to go to the east and hide beside the Kerith Brook east of the Jordan. Elijah obeyed and lived on food the Lord sent by ravens and water in the brook. But after a while the brook dried up because there was no rainfall in the Land. 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. 1 Kings 17:8-11a.
The woman gathering sticks would be the person the Lord picked to give Elijah refuge. The Lord also supernaturally provided oil and flour for bread for the widow and her son and Elijah as long as the drought continued.
Learning to trust the Lord and obeying His direction in our life is not easy. Learning how to trust God is a journey and sometimes as people we have times of great trust and then we can easily fall back to relying on ourselves. In our story we see the result of obedience in the life of Elijah. Firs,t the Lord told him to live by the brook and he does. His obedience resulted in Elijah being provided for, but in a way he would not expect. When the Lord told him to go to the village of Zarepath he obeyed and went there. Again, the Lord provided for Elijah.
One of my favorite verse is from Proverbs 3:5-6 when I am struggling to trust the Lord. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Are you struggling with trusting the Lord? If you are struggling, cry out to the Lord in prayer and ask for help in trusting Him. Learning how to trust is also learning to go for help. Remember the Lord is always there to help us along our journey.
To hear more about Elijah listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/series/journey-with-elijah-and-elisha
Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (1 Ki 17:1). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (1 Ki 17:8–11). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Pr 3:5–6). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.