Luke 4:25,26 (NIV)
Another unnamed lady! Just reading the glimpse of her life that is recorded in 1 Kings 17 is enough to bring tears to my eyes. No husband; on her own and she is gathering sticks for their last meal before they die of starvation. We often see images of ladies and children like this on TV in far away places. Then her son dies and she blames herself and her sin for his death! This is a lady in distress living in a hard age, and a desperate time, with nothing to offer God or His prophet. Except there was something in this lady that caused her to OBEY the Word of the prophet.
Did she know that Elijah was the cause of this famine that was killing her? It is likely that she did; surely people were talking about the root cause of the extreme weather. Why would she listen to him, and why would she prepare his meal before hers? The Lord’s point is that God knew that she would listen and obey, and so He sent Elijah to her. Our Lord told us that there were many widows in similar situations to this widow, and yet there was a huge difference between all the other widows and this one Syrian widow. She stepped out in faith and obeyed the Word of the Lord through His prophet, and the saving presence and power of the LORD worked miracles in her life. The others suffered alone, without experiencing the saving presence and power of the LORD.
May the spirit of this lady be alive in us today. May we obey no matter the cost!
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