Leap of faith

She was no stranger to death. She had seen her husband die. And now she watched helplessly as everything around her died. The grass dried up, the trees dropped their leaves, the cows were gaunt skeletons and the goats bleated pitifully. Everyday she scanned the cloudless sky, hoping against hope for a cloud – for rain. She had been rationing the flour and the oil in an attempt to make it stretch until the end of the drought. The little round flat daily loaf was unevenly divided. Her son needed all the nourishment she could give him. It pained her to see the lad so thin and energy less. But it was pointless – she knew the true - they would both soon starve to death. There was only enough for a last meal. Holding her son’s hand the widow leaves the dusty town ofZarephathto scrounge for firewood to cook their last meal. And here the unnamed woman steps into the biblical narrative. This week we see the great controversy between God and Satan played out in miniature in the life of anunnamed widow woman who chooses God and is lead step by step into a journey of faith.

Although our story begins with God’s command to the great prophet Elijah to go to Zarephath we must remember the what leads to this command. ThekingdomofIsraelhas slid very far into idolatry. Baal worship has become the official state religion. God has dramatically confronted the storm god by declaring through the Elijah that there would be no more dew or rain. Elijah has been hiding at the brook Cherith while the country ofIsraelwithers under a devastating drought. The brook finaly runs dry and God commands the prophet to leave and go to Zarephath.

God had provided the ravens to feed Elijah all the time that he was at the brook. Why change the arrangement? Why do you think God let nature take it’s course and the brook run dry?