“The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and He adds no sorrows with it.” – Proverbs 10:22 (NLT)
In 1st Kings 17:8-24, the story is told of the Prophet Elijah, who, on the instructions from God, visited an ancient Phoenician town named Zarephath (now Sarepta in Lebanon), which means “smelting place” or “place of refinement”, referring to the refining of metals with fire. God informed the Prophet that He (God) had directed a widow there to supply him with food.
Beloved, imagine if you will, that there is a famine in your country, and you are the point person that God identifies to feed a prophet out of the scarcity of your food supply. What would you do?
From Verses 10-16, we see that Elijah not only requested water to drink but also a piece of bread. The widow declared that she had no bread, only a handful of flour and a little olive oil in a jug. It was her intention to gather a few sticks to take home and make a meal for herself and her son so that they could eat it and die.
In summary, the Prophet told her to make a small loaf of bread from the little she had, bring it to him first, and then make something for herself and her son. He then prophesied that neither her jar of flour nor the jug of oil would run dry until the day the Lord sent the rain again. The widow did as she was told, and God honoured His word; she always had enough.
Brethren, faith is the step between promise and assurance when miracles seem out of reach. But every miracle, large or small, begins with an act of obedience. We may not see the solution until we take the first step of faith.
The widow‘s act of obedience resulted in blessings that enriched her and ensured she always had enough for herself and her family in a season of lack. Her obedience also prevented her from being childless (God healed and restored her son).
Beloved of God, exercise your faith today and trust in the servants of God who are sent alongside you to lead you to your breakthroughs. Amen!
Read: Proverbs 19:17; Matthew 25:35-40
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 119:33-40; 2 Thessalonians 2; Jeremiah 29:24-32; Jeremiah 30; Jeremiah 31:1-14