I Kings 17:4 and 9 include interesting asides. In verse 4 God told Elijah, “I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.” In verse 9 he told Elijah, “I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.”
We have no ability to explain God’s orders to his creatures. As merely one example, how does God empower monarch butterflies—the apparently most vulnerable of his winged creation—to fly thousands of miles South each Fall; then the same thousands of miles North each Spring? We have only marginal understanding of his sovereign will over humans. Especially when the widow in Zarephath didn’t seem to know God had commanded her I Kings 17:12. However, her initial response to Elijah’s request for food plus water may give a clue. Remember that the woman resided in an aggressively pagan culture. She may have been one of the moral persons in that fanatically immoral religion. That makes sense. Knowing her background, God would make it easy as possible to obey him. He therefore could have given her what to say when a Jewish prophet—always identified by bold visage, distinctive dress and mysterious spiritual presence—arrived and asked for a drink…then added, “and bring me, please, a piece of bread.” Notice the courtesy Elijah used, a sure evidence of God’s command. And…after allowing the widow the right to express her limitations, and her lingering doubt, hearing Elijah’s counsel “Don’t be afraid,” with the reason: God would provide removed any barrier to obedience. All of this could have happened, but not necessarily. Now…this has a lesson for our discipleship: God may not so clearly identify someone he wants us to help; but the Holy Spirit will bolster our confidence to do so by our faith that God wouldn’t send someone to us outside our disciple-depth or spiritual-giftedness. Therefore, while we may find excuses why we “can’t serve, can’t witness, can’t help,” we have one reason we should: God has prepared that person, that situation, that crisis for our testimony and labor. He makes no mistakes when bringing the spiritual need to the spiritual source. Will we rise to the opportunity to be Christ’s witness?
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