Obedient to the Word of God (Part 2) / 1 Kings 17&18

In 1 Kings 17, God instructed Elijah, “Go to a widow in Zarephath near Sidon – she will provide for you.” So Elijah obeyed. When he arrived, he saw the woman gathering sticks and said to her, “Please bring me some water – and a piece of bread as well.”

She responded, “There’s a severe famine in the land. I have almost nothing – just a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I’m gathering wood to bake one last meal for my son and me. After that, we expect to die.”

Elijah said, “Don’t be afraid. Go ahead and make the bread – but make a small cake for me first. Then prepare something for you and your son. For this is what the Lord says: The jar of flour will not run out, and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.”

She did exactly as Elijah instructed, and just as God had promised, the flour never ran out, and the oil never failed. Day after day, in the middle of a drought and famine, her household was sustained.

This is a powerful illustration of what happens when we trust God. While the world may be in chaos – scarcity all around – God's provision never fails. The flour represents physical sustenance, and the oil often symbolizes anointing. Neither ran dry because God's word stood firm.

But the story doesn’t end there. Before Elijah ever reached Mount Carmel and called down fire from heaven, the widow faced another crisis: her son fell gravely ill and died. In her grief, she cried out, thinking God was punishing her for past sins.

Elijah took the lifeless boy, carried him to his own room, laid him on the bed, and stretched himself out over him three times. He cried out to the Lord, and God heard his prayer – the child came back to life.