April 18th

April 18th -- 1 Kings 17 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings%2017&version=NLT)

Elijah fed by ravens ; The widow at Zarephath

Just some background info: The current king is now Ahab. Elijah is who will be focused on, and he was a prophet of Israel.

Elijah tells the king, Ahab, that so long as his (Elijah's) God is alive, then there won't be any rain during the next few years until Elijah says so. God tells Elijah to go east to the Kerith Brook and hide there. Ravens would bring bread to him each morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook. However, after a long time without water, the brook, of course, dried up.

God then tells Elijah to go live in Zarephath, saying He has instructed a widow there to feed him. Elijah goes, and at the gates coming in he finds a widow and asks for some water. As she's leaving he calls out for bread, too. She, however, says she has no bread, just enough ingredients to make a bit more, which her and her son were going to eat before simply dying. Elijah tells her not to be afraid, but instead to go and make bread for him, then with the leftovers make some for herself and her son. He tells her God has said there will always be leftovers until when the rain returns so she can grow more crops. She does as Elijah has told her, and what the Lord has promised was proven true, and they kept eating for many days and the ingredients/materials did not run out.

Later, though, the woman's son becomes sick and dies. The woman accuses, Elijah, thinking he came to point out her sins and punish her by killing her son. He asks for her son, though, and she gives him to him. Elijah holds him and begins praying to God, asking why He has done this, saying the woman should not get this after opening her home to him. He cries out to God to heal the child, and the child came back to life. When the woman sees this, she tells Elijah she knows now for sure that he is a man of God and that God speaks through him.

I love the story about the stuff for bread not running out. I think it's neat to imagine how that must have worked. Imagine having two cups of flour, then using one in baking. When you came back the next day to use the second, though, there were two! It would be awesome! Our God is the God who does things like that. However, why does He bless the woman like this? She does as she is told by God (through Elijah) and she helps Elijah out, and is very kind, opening her home to him. When we are kind, God will reward us. That may not mean monetary rewards, or any other earthly reward. Sometimes it does but often it does not. I think the reward a lot of the time is the joy that comes with knowing we've helped. A lot of times, God allows the good works our efforts have caused to be revealed to us in odd ways. Normally we may never have known if we had any impact, but often God works it out so we know we blessed someone, and can feel joyful then for knowing we did so.

Also, may I point out that through Elijah's prayer, a boy was brought back to life. We always, I think, think only Jesus could heal. We often forget, though, that other people healed in God's name and power. Jesus' disciples did. So did Elijah, in this case. I think we forget how much the prayer of someone favored by God can mean. When we are really trying, God sees that, and he WANTS to bless us all the more. This can include answers to prayer. Elijah was very close with God, so when he asked that this boy be saved, God listened. Never underestimate the power of your prayers. You never know if God may answer them!

Well, that's all! God bless! Shalom!