Reading Portion: 1 Kings 17:17-24
Elijah and the rest of the people were fed through the provision given by the LORD. And we can say that Elijah’s faith soared when GOD heard and provided for him, when they were in need. The faith season is always followed by a season of tests and trials. GOD wants us to exhibit the essence of the faith we acquired in the faith season, through our actions, in the tests and trial season. As Apostle James said, “faith without action is dead”; GOD checks whether we possess a living faith or a faith that is in the ventilator. If our faith needs constant support to be sustained, it means that our faith has no life, to bring life in others.
Elijah realized the care, support of GOD and the power of GOD’s word, and the results of obeying GOD in the faith season. Learning about GOD and tasting Him in real-life situations makes our faith in Him more firm.
What Elijah experienced in the tests and trials’ season was to do something that appears impossible for human eye. Sometimes GOD leads us to do the impossibilities to show us that, His presence can do impossibilities through us, if we have constant faith in Him. The situation here is the death of the son of the widow. The word from Elijah’s mouth once saved the widow and her son from death and now, he is no more. We may doubt GOD in this kind of situations. GOD brought us out of death in one situation and later on, GOD leads us through the valley of death. It may seem controversial when we read this, but everything that happens in our life is for a reason and it is to bring glory to the LORD.
“Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing.” 1 Kings 17:17. It seems that the widow never brought the boy to the prophet when he became ill. She may have tried her own ways and methods to heal the boy. She forgot to bring the boy before the prophet, when he was sick. She never forgot to make food from the flour or the oil which multiplied when the prophet came, but she was hesitant to bring her tough situation before GOD.
Eating the food through the miracle that GOD has done in our lives may not make us a believer or a person of faith, but tasting Him in real life makes us a true believer in GOD, with genuine faith.
The response of the mother was so typical. “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” Vs. 18. She immediately forgot what GOD had done through the prophet in her life, and she blamed the man of GOD as if he had brought this situation in her life. She was addressing an unnamed sin as she blamed the prophet. She wasn’t sure about having received forgiveness from GOD and so, the thought of this sin came up when she lost her son. We remember about our unforgotten sins when we pass through the darkest days of our lives. But GOD wants us to be pure and holy just as He is, by seeking forgiveness and trusting in His blood each and every moment of our lives. Seeking forgiveness from GOD must become a daily routine of our lives. We must be of a clear conscience before GOD and we must have the confidence that His blood has the power to wash away the sins in our life.
The words from the widow could cause confusion and anxiety in the life of Elijah as she was cornering him. As a man of GOD, we must discern the reality behind every minute thing that happens in our lives. Though his heart was broken, he trusted GOD. GOD was teaching Elijah not to take the words of blame personally, but to put his trust in GOD and to do things for His glory. He never said a word of disbelief to the widow. Sometimes, we have to stay quiet before the hurtful words of people so that GOD will use us, to bring a miracle in their lives.
Elijah’s faith came into action when he took the boy, went into the loft, and laid him on his bed. To see GOD’s hand working in our lives, we need to take our situations out of our unbelief, go to the prayer tower and lay it down in the presence of GOD. When we miss any of these, doubt creeps in and we fail to trust GOD and His promises.
Though Elijah’s prayer contained the pain of being blamed by the widow, his focus never changed from the GOD who would do miracles in their lives. GOD heard the prayer of Elijah and gave the boy his life back. Elijah proved to trust GOD through his prayer and his faith was alive to bring the boy back to life. Though the tests and trial season seems confusing, depressing or hurting, trust GOD and His promises over your life. Remember that we are running a race to eternity and the tests and trial seasons are only to make us stronger in GOD, that we will not get tired on our way home.
