Elijah had pretty high levels of faith. God had sent him to a brook and promised to provide for him. Elijah trusted God and went to the brook, where He was true to His word. Then God asked him to go to Zarephath, this time promising that a widow would be there to provide for him. When Elijah arrived and met the poor widow, it turned out she only had enough food left for one last meal for herself and her son. It would’ve been understandable if Elijah had started to doubt God’s promise. But through this test of faith, he kept trusting God, and even told her that ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land’ (v.14). The widow’s faith must’ve also been tested. Here was a stranger approaching her, asking for food that she hadn’t got. Why should she help this man or believe that she really wouldn’t run out? But she also put her trust in God, and He came through and proved His faithfulness once again. God often lets us go through challenging times as it tests our faith. It reveals how much we really do trust Him. And when we choose to trust Him through the difficult times, we usually come out of it stronger and closer to Him. So, when He’s promising something, however unlikely it seems, be prepared to ‘live by faith, not by sight’ (2 Corinthians 5:7), and have faith that the God who has come through for you countless times before, will do it again.
What now?
Grab a friend and get them to blindfold you. Then ask them to guide you around the room. Trust them that they won’t let you crash into things.