“Arise, get thee to Zarephath which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee” (1 Kings 17:9).
Elijah had enough faith to believe God would provide for him. He obeyed when God told him to go to Zarephath. Zarephath was a coastal town located between Tyre and Sidon. The sinful Jezebel was a Sidonian. If I had been Elijah I would be asking the question posed in the title of today’s devotion. Elijah had been commanded to go and reside in the heart of the very land from which the Baal worship now being promoted in Israel had come. Jezebel was his worst enemy and God had chosen her “hometown” as Elijah’s hideout.
When Elijah arrived in Zarephath, he was not welcomed at the gate by rich merchants or another prophet. There was also a famine in that land. The first one to meet him was a poor, destitute widow. Was this the widow woman God was going to use to sustain him? How in the world would this happen? As I tried to understand the last part of our verse, I found I was as confused as Elijah and the widow may have been. God had a strategy, and, we should never question God’s plan. Elijah was in the middle of enemy territory. Our writer states “But God would not command a mighty army there; He needed only a poor widow and an obedient servant to display His power.” Everything was aligned. Join me as we are finally ready to meet the widow of Zarephath.
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for the needs of widows in your church.
