1 King 17:1-24

An Ordinary Woman was the Conduit
for Extraordinary Miracles!"
by Cindi Whitman

1 Kings 17:1-24

Elijah was a mighty man of God. He was a prophet that God used to speak forth a time of famine in the land. Elijah had been through a time of testing and had been living by faith at the brook Cherith. God had been providing for his needs through the ravens and the brook. It was a miraculous provision. The provision came to an end as the brook dried up. The source of provision that Elijah relied upon was no longer available. It was only then that God directed him to move. The direction to move didn’t come before the source dried up and wasn’t until after the source dried up. I wonder if Elijah would have listened to God about moving before the source of his provision dried up? Often it seems that we have to reach a place of desperation before we will really listen to the direction of the Lord.

Elijah responded and went to Zarephath to see the widow that God had told to provide for Elijah. The widow was at the gates of the city, which represented the place of decision making, the place of government, and the place where the religious leaders would gather. God had the plan of provision in place for Elijah but he had to respond in obedience. Maybe he didn’t really want to move. Maybe he liked the Brook of Cherith. He had to set aside his own wants to follow the instruction of the Lord to receive his provision. As Elijah went into Zarephath he saw a widow collecting sticks. He didn't have to search her out...she was right there! He asked her for a drink and then for a bit of bread as well. She told Elijah the truth of her desperate circumstance. She was preparing the last meal for herself and her son. She had no other source of food. She was desperate and had given up hope. She was preparing to die. So we have 2 desperate people - Elijah and the widow. Both of them needed to have their needs met, and their destinies were connected to one another. God’s provision would come as both responded in obedience.

Interestingly, Zarephath means “ambush of the mouth”. Often as our testing comes, the words that we speak indicate the condition of our hearts. The widow had no faith to believe for a miracle. She spoke only of what she knew to be true…she looked at her circumstances as she saw them. She didn’t realize that standing before her was a prophet of God. She didn’t realize that God had brought to her provision at the time she needed it most. She was preparing to die, she had given up all hope, she saw no other provision in sight and yet Elijah, the man of God, showed up…in the nick of time. She had to respond to Elijah’s request. She had to trust and respond in obedience even if it meant that her provision would dry up sooner than later. We know that as a result of her obedience the oil and the flour continued to multiply. What if she hadn’t obeyed? What if she hadn’t put others before herself? Her selfless act of obedience released a continuous flow of provision not only for her, and her son, but also for Elijah. Their destinies were related to one another's obedience! Her obedience affected the present and the future generation!

God used an ordinary widow as a conduit for a miracle.

A widow was a woman of no social standing, no significant importance, no financial resources and yet God chose to use her. She was willing to serve the prophet Elijah. She wasn’t a woman of great faith. She was barely scraping by and had given up hope; she was at the bottom of her own barrel, but she was willing to respond to the voice of the Lord. Her heart had remained tender towards the voice of God even in her desperate situation. God used her to bring the provision for Elijah. Then God used Elijah to bring the miracle of continuous provision to her. Each act of obedience opened the door to the continuous miracle supply of the Lord for one another!

Ordinary people responding to the voice of God are used to bring about extraordinary miracles!

Amen! Praise God for using ordinary people to bring about the extraordinary miracles.
May all God's children cry, "Abba Father! May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!"
In Jesus Name .