We see the widow of Zarephath stepping out in faith to serve Elijah water and bread. Elijah first asked for water, and the widow immediately went for a cup. While the Kerith Brook in Israel had dried up, the drought didn’t seem as severe near Sidon. It is still problematic since there is a lack of food.
1 Kings 17: 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!” [1]
Action Required
Often, God waits to move until we act. The widow seemed to know of the God of Israel and saw Elijah as His prophet. In her faith, she gave up the certain food she had for the uncertainty of what Elijah had promised. She had to stop looking down at her circumstances and look up to God. She was stepping out in faith.
God gave her a test by having Elijah eat first. She passed with flying colors. Matthew 10: 41 If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. 42 And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.” [2]
The Connection Between Faith and Action
Faith isn’t true faith until it is acted on. James 2: 17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. 18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds… Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? [3]
We can’t earn our way to salvation. Only the blood of Jesus can provide our forgiveness and restoration. Yet, there is a point that we must allow our faith to move into action. Often, God will test us to trust Him despite what we see in the natural. We aren’t to be foolish, but we must keep our focus on Him.
The widow had to trust God to provide food as she could not get food because of the drought. In our crazy times, we will look to God and not our efforts or the government to supply. We should act and do what we can, but always remember to look up. We will find ourselves stepping out in faith.
To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/elijah-and-the-widow
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.