Faith First!

Genuine faith in God is expressed through obedience to Him.  Righteousness is imputed by God to those who trust in Him as is seen in the life of Abraham and others.  A great example of the impact of faith in the lives of people is seen with Elijah and the widow and her son who dwelt in Zarephath.

There was a severe drought in the land and God directed Elijah the prophet to travel to Zarephath.  He saw a woman gathering sticks and asked her for a drink of water.  1 Kings 17:11-14 reads, "And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." ¹² So she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." ¹³ And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ For thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.'"

The situation of the widow and her son was dire, for the woman imagined she was cooking her last meal.  Unlike the sometimes elaborate last meals of convicted criminals condemned to die today, her meal consisted of flatbread.  But Elijah told her not to be afraid in light of her lack but to make a cake for him first.  This must have seemed a bizarre request from a travelling stranger when food was scarce.  Was this some sort of cruel trick?  No:  God promised through the prophet Elijah there would be flour enough to also prepare a meal for the woman and her son--not just for the day, but flour and oil would be miraculously sustained for the duration of the drought and subsequent famine.

If you found yourself in the woman's predicament, what would you do?  To obey meant she needed to exercise faith in the word of the LORD God.  Faith obeys God first, believing He will graciously supply our need.  1 Kings 17:15-16 tells us what happened:  "So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. ¹⁶ The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah."  Exercising faith in God brought sustenance and salvation to her household.  The same is true concerning our souls when we place our faith in Jesus Christ.  Our faith in Christ is demonstrated by our works for Christ in obedience to Him.  Even when life seems futile and out of our control, there is provision, protection, and safety in God when we trust Him.  God has the power to miraculously sustain His people, and He provides abundant life forever.