God Wants To Meet With Me

For the next few days we’ll look at the story of Elijah as he meets with a widow in Zarephath.  

If you want to read the whole story right away you can find it at the following link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20kings%2017&version=NLT

Elijah is a man who listened carefully to God.  Elijah had just challenged the King and called forth a drought in the land because of the king’s evil ways.  Now, he is “on the run” to hide from the king’s vengeance.  God sees Elijah’s trouble and has a plan prepared to take care of him and also a widow and her son in a town called Zarephath.  The widow and her son are facing starvation because of the drought.  None of our circumstances are a surprise to God. God sees us, particularly when we are vulnerable.  Because he knows the beginning and the end, God is always ready with good plans for us that are far beyond our ability to imagine.  Here’s how it happened for Elijah and the widow.

Then the Lord said to Elijah,  “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”  So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?”  As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”  But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”  But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son.  For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.   (1 Kings 17:8-16 NLT)

God gave direction to Elijah because he listened to Him and obeyed.  God made a promise to a widow when she listened to His words, spoken through Elijah, and obeyed.  Before either was aware of their situation, God already had a plan in place for them and they just needed to follow His directions.  God was already paying attention to their need.  God met them in the middle of their circumstances and directed them to carefully use the provision they had.  They did what they could do and God did the miraculous.

God always has good plans ready for us if we will consult Him. We don’t need to wait for desperate times in order to hear God’s voice.  Our part is to meet with God in every situation, ask for God’s help, listen for God’s direction, act in faith and obedience to His word to us, and then live joyfully in God’s care and generous provision. 

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (Philippians 4:6 NLT)

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