1 Kings 17:7-24<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.\u00a08\u00a0Then the word of the\u00a0Lord\u00a0came to him:\u00a09\u00a0\u201cGo at once to Zarephath\u00a0in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow\u00a0there to supply you with food.\u201d\u00a010\u00a0So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, \u201cWould you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?\u201d\u00a011\u00a0As she was going to get it, he called, \u201cAnd bring me, please, a piece of bread.\u201d\u00a0 12\u00a0\u201cAs surely as the Lord your God lives,\u201d she replied, \u201cI don\u2019t have any bread\u2014only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil\u00a0in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it\u2014and die.\u201d\u00a0 13\u00a0Elijah said to her, \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.\u00a014\u00a0For this is what the\u00a0Lord, the God of Israel, says: \u2018The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the\u00a0Lord\u00a0sends rain\u00a0on the land.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 15\u00a0She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.\u00a016\u00a0For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the\u00a0Lord\u00a0spoken by Elijah.\u00a0 1<\/i>7\u00a0Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing.\u00a018\u00a0She said to Elijah, \u201cWhat do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin\u00a0and kill my son?\u201d\u00a0 19\u00a0\u201cGive me your son,\u201d Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed.\u00a020\u00a0Then he cried\u00a0out to the\u00a0Lord, \u201cLord\u00a0my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?\u201d\u00a021\u00a0Then he stretched\u00a0himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the\u00a0Lord, \u201cLord\u00a0my God, let this boy\u2019s life return to him!\u201d\u00a0 22\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0heard Elijah\u2019s cry, and the boy\u2019s life returned to him, and he lived.\u00a023\u00a0Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother\u00a0and said, \u201cLook, your son is alive!\u201d\u00a0 24\u00a0Then the woman said to Elijah, \u201cNow I know\u00a0that you are a man of God\u00a0and that the word of the\u00a0Lord\u00a0from your mouth is the truth.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cElijah said to her, \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.\u00a0\u00a014\u00a0For this is what the\u00a0Lord, the God of Israel, says: \u2018The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the\u00a0Lord\u00a0sends rain\u00a0on the land.\u2019\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/i>From her statement to Elijah, \u201cAs surely as the Lord your God lives,<\/i>\u201d we see that she probably knew of him.\u00a0\u00a0It is extremely likely that since it had not rained and they were in a famine that the word had spread that God had used Elijah to pronounce judgement against the evil King Ahab.\u00a0\u00a0It seems like she knew who he was.\u00a0\u00a0Perhaps there had been excitement as the people of Zarephath heard that he on his way to their town.\u00a0\u00a0Either way, she knew he was a man of God.\u00a0\u00a0So when this strange man, who had said that it would not rain until he called for it to again rain, and the prophecy was coming true, when he gave her instructions to go ahead and first make him something to eat, and then make her and her son something to eat, and after he had told her that God Himself was giving her a promise to provide for her and her son, she believed it.\u00a0\u00a0She was sure this was a man who was a prophet sent from God.\u00a0\u00a0She believed that God spoke through him and she trusted God.\u00a0\u00a0So she held onto the word from God and did as she was directed.<\/p>\n
First she was to honor God by making food for Elijah.\u00a0\u00a0This was consistent with an order of prioritization that God had set long ago.\u00a0\u00a0We see in\u00a0Leviticus 23:9-14<\/b>\u00a0that God said that the first fruit harvested is offered to God to honor Him.\u00a0\u00a0It is important that in all things in our lives God must have the highest priority.\u00a0\u00a0It is not because God has a huge ego, it is for our benefit.\u00a0\u00a0To follow God we must keep Him as the first focus of attention.\u00a0\u00a0Otherwise we can get distracted and led astray.\u00a0\u00a0At the start of the day God should be the recipient of the first fruit of our day.\u00a0\u00a0When we wake and give God the first fruit of our attention and devotion then it facilitates that we can be in fellowship with Him throughout the day in continuous prayer. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0When we give God the first part of our paycheck, then we honor Him as we know it is He who provides for us and that we are grateful.\u00a0\u00a0When blessings come our way, it is He whom we first think to thank because we know that while God may use others to bless us, the origin of the blessings is God. (James 5:17<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0So it is natural that the widow would pay homage by blessing His prophet, before the blessings enjoyed by her son and her.\u00a0\u00a0First fruits belong to God.<\/p>\n
God always has a plan.\u00a0\u00a0God directed Elijah to seek out the widow and at that time He would have Elijah bless her with the promise from God, and she would bless Elijah from the endless supply of food that God would bless her with.\u00a0\u00a0In order to be blessed by God, in order to even live, she must believe the word that God gave to her through Elijah.\u00a0\u00a0She must believe with action.\u00a0\u00a0She must be obedient and do what God required her to do. Even if it seemed absurd to her, she must be obedient to God.\u00a0\u00a0God gave her a sure promise and she would receive the promise through belief, through faith and through obedience.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Blessings for all of us are received the same way.\u00a0\u00a0First by faith and by continuing in loving obedience.<\/p>\n
We learn from Elijah that God\u2019s plans don\u2019t usually mean that we are to stay in one place.\u00a0\u00a0He very often, but not always, moves us from ministry at one place to ministry at another place.\u00a0\u00a0We need to be in constant communication with Him so that our ministry is always as the Lord directs.\u00a0\u00a0When brooks dry up, it may be that God is moving us to another location.\u00a0\u00a0Elijah knew that he was in a God directed place in the Kerith Ravine.\u00a0\u00a0He had a brook and God caused ravens to bring him food. Elijah was being richly blessed.\u00a0\u00a0And because he was in constant communication with God, Elijah knew when to move on.\u00a0\u00a0God had a purpose and it was not just to bless him, but to also bless the widow and her son.\u00a0\u00a0I believe, though it is not said, that the widow had been crying out to God and so God took care of the widow and Elijah at the same time.\u00a0\u00a0God does that kind of thing.\u00a0\u00a0He is all knowing and fully able to accomplish His full will.\u00a0\u00a0And He also does that for us.\u00a0\u00a0He calls us here, and moves us here and there by the guidance of His Spirit.\u00a0\u00a0We are not fully privy to what tomorrow holds and so we are fully dependent on the will of God and on His leadership (James 4:13-15, Proverbs 19:11, Luke 12:13-31<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Yet, we know that God is good and that He loves us.\u00a0\u00a0Always He watches over us.\u00a0\u00a0So we must move on when God call us too.\u00a0\u00a0We must know His voice so that we know His instruction.\u00a0\u00a0God can use circumstances (A brook drying up) to get our attention, but we must make sure we properly understand how the Spirit is leading.\u00a0\u00a0The possibilities, with God, are endless.\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/i><\/p>\n
Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; And what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn His face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
1 Kings 17:7-24\u00a0–\u00a0Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.\u00a08\u00a0Then the word of the\u00a0Lord\u00a0came to him:\u00a09\u00a0\u201cGo at once to Zarephath\u00a0in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow\u00a0there to supply you with food.\u201d\u00a010\u00a0So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[1700,2148,2454,106,94,1874,88,17,757],"class_list":["post-2263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-james","tag-kings","tag-leviticus","tag-luke","tag-micah","tag-numbers","tag-proverbs","tag-psalm","tag-thessalonians"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2263"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2264,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2263\/revisions\/2264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}