When the widow of Zarephath prepared a meal for Elijah from her last remaining morsel of food it was more than a mere gesture of hospitality. Elijah was a prophet who represented God in this case. It was Elijah who, at God’s behest, directed the woman to give her last bit of food to him with the assurance that God would provide for her. By trusting in Elijah’s words, the woman was trusting God, and by hosting Elijah in this way she was opening her house to God. This was at a time, by the way, when most of Israel was rejecting God. The story is meant to be an indictment on faithless Israel. We are meant to see in this story the miraculous provision and favour that Israel was missing out on because of her lack of faith. Here we see a pagan widow responding in simple faith to God and God’s readiness to honour such faith. God is saying to us here: “See how quick this widow was to trust me! See how willing she was to honour me through my prophet! See how she was blessed as a result!” When dire need came to the widow’s house God was there with her, represented in this case by Elijah the prophet, and while the people of Israel wasted away in alienation from God, this faithful woman saw the power of God working for her. Choose today to open your life to God. Yield your life to him as this widow entrusted hers to Elijah. Do this and you will see God’s faithfulness and power in your life.
Open your heart to God and entrust your life to him.
Read 1 Kings 17
