“So he arose and went to Zarephath, And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was gong to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand” (1 Kings 17:10-11).
The familiar story of the prophet and the widow in 1 Kings 17 provides another example of hospitality. I encourage you to read this chapter.and ask yourself, “could I have been as gracious to the man of God?” There was a famine in the land. God was busy providing for His servant, Elijah. Scripture relates how God sent food to him via ravens and provided water for him—until the brooks dried up. Then God sent him to the widow of Zarephath to provide for both of their needs.
As this story unfolds, we see the picture of a woman and her son who were down to their last meal. Today’s verses reveal both a prophet’s request and a widow’s obedience. However, the prophet extended his request to include “a morsel of bread.” I’m thinking the water might have been a small sacrifice, but the bread was surely a stretch. The story continues, relating the depth of the widow’s desperation. She planned one last meal for herself and her son, and prepared to die. If you had been in these dire straits, what would you have done? What seems such a stretch to us is nothing compared to what God can do.
Elijah told the widow to go in her house and fix him “a little cake.” She could have questioned this and the prophet’s sanity, but she didn’t. Because she trusted the man of God, Elijah was fed, and she and her son also “did eat many days.” Later on in the story God performed another miracle when He used Elijah to raise this same widow’s son from the dead.
We are often too quick to judge people we don’t know. We don’t want to be too trusting with people. However, we don’t want to come to the point where we don’t trust people at all. When it comes to doing a “home based, home stretch,” try to remember the words found in Hebrews 13:2 about entertaining angels unawares.
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for widows (or single moms) in your church or community who may be struggling financially. Is God calling you to show hospitality to one or more of these women?
