Elijah was a mighty prophet with a mighty faith, but he needed a widow with meager faith to provide his needs, and for God’s glory to be manifested. However, God commanded Elijah to go to the Gentile nation of Sidon. He was sent to a woman, who was a poor widow. (I Kings 17:8-16)
Widow rich in faith
When he reached Zarephath, he met a widow who was picking up twigs to cook her final meal in the world.
1. Faith: The widow was a woman of faith. God discerned her faith and sent a man of faith Elijah to affirm her faith. Feeble faith, smoldering faith, mustard seed faith, and little faith are seen and rewarded by God who is faithful.
2. Diligence: The diligent widow was picking up twigs to cook her last meal. For her, the last day being alive was like any other day. God uses diligent disciples.
3. Mental peace: Being content with what she had, she decided to cook her last meal. There was no worry in her conversation with Elijah. She was not afraid of death, for her faith teaches her that the absence from this world is to be present in His presence.
4. Gracious heart: With gratefulness for what she had, she did not murmur or grumble or weep or lament. When Elijah asked for water, with a delightful heart, she went to fetch water.
5. Generous spirit: Water was scarce, as there was no rain. Perhaps, she had to travel a distance to fetch the water or pay a price to buy the water. She was willing to give water.
Promise of God
For her, that was the last meal with limited resources. The future was a mystery, if not misery. However, in faith, she had to give the first portion to the prophet, then what she had would last until the famine ended. It was not a story of ‘rags to riches’ but ‘rags to resources.’
Do I realize that God uses people even if they have meager faith?