I Kings 17:9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belogeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
God Gives Through the Giver
Not too long ago a friend and I took a hike in some mountains. It was about a 5 hour hike, and by the end of the day I was just spent. I had nothing left to give. Sometimes we feel that way when it comes to giving what we have. We feel like we have nothing left to give. That’s exactly what comes to my mind when I think about the widow that is spoken of in I Kings 17.
Elijah, a prophet of God, told wicked king Ahab that it was not going to rain “but according to my word.” So not only was King Ahab living in drought because of this judgment from God, so was Elijah.
God provided for Elijah in a couple of extraordinary ways, one of which was a widow woman. God said, “Get thee to Zarphath… behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.” This is incredible, because if Elijah had very little food, this widow must have next to nothing!
The first thing Elijah said to this widow woman was, “Please get me something to drink.” This request would almost be comical if it were not so serious, and it would almost be offensive if it were not, as it turns out, God’s provision for both Elijah and the widow.
As the widow was going to fetch some water, Elijah called to her and said, “Bring me something to eat, too.” She replied with great feeling, “As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not…” What did she not have? She didn’t have a husband, much food, or any hope. She said, “I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” She didn’t even have hope.
Elijah said to her, “Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.” That’s sounds completely heartless, but as it turns out, she didn’t starve and Elijah didn’t starve. They both did well.
Now who provided for whom? Did Elijah provide for the widow or did the widow provide for Elijah? If the drought came in part because of Elijah’s prayer, then I believe Elijah came to this widow woman as an answer to her prayer. Don’t you think if she prayed at all, she prayed that God would feed her and her son? Why would God pick on this widow woman by sending someone else in need?
God didn’t intend to send a need to this woman. He intended to send provision by sending a person in need. God gives to givers because God gives through givers. Sometimes God provides for you by sending someone else in need. If we are always wrapped up in what we need and we don’t think about anyone else, we will continue to need. If we will realize that God gives to givers because God gives through givers, then we will see blessings where most people would not even recognize them at all. Everyone sees his own need, but very few people see the provision of God when He provides for them by providing through them.