A Mother’s Trust
Notes
Transcript
7 And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
12 So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ”
15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.
Happy Mother’s Day to all our moms! All the wives and future moms.
Spotlight on a certain widow and her son.
This message is a lesson on (Three P’s):
The Provision of God.
Putting our Trust in God.
Partnering with the work of God.
Background on Elijah, the famine, fed by ravens
Hearing from the Lord.
1) God did not choose a familiar place and person to be a source of provision.
- Elijah was sent to a strange place, Zarephath, on the Mediterranean coast in the region of Sidon (far)
In leading us to a new and unfamiliar place, God makes us less dependent on ourselves but more dependent on HIM.
Elijah’s expectation must have been that God is leading him to a rich woman of Sidon.
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.”
Elijah was hungry - and he was sent to a place where there was a hungry widow, a mother and her son.
The woman was gathering sticks to prepare to cook her final meal for her and her son before they die of starvation.
11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
12 So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
Some of you have gone through family hardships and it’s always the case that the moms and wives are a steady presence. They look out for the welfare of their children. Models of self sacrifice, they may go hungry but they will do everything to make sure their children won’t.
Single moms and widows.
2) The Lord demands our trust in the most impossible of situations.
13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.
The nerve of the prophet to ask this mother to give her and her son’s last food to him.
When the Lord has commanded, we just have to trust and obey.
The Lord commanded Elijah.
The Lord commanded the widow.
We are to trust in the word of the Lord.
You may be facing a period of scarcity, financial challenges, trust the Lord and follow Him and He will provide.. how do I know? because He said it in His word.
Familiar Bible verse:
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Here’s the promise:
14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ”
Will you trust the promise of the Lord even if the task He has given you seems difficult and daunting?
Are you willing to give even the last of what you have if the Lord demands it of you?
3. Partnership with God leads to true blessing.
The widow did the right thing and trusted in the Lord.
15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.
You see, God used Elijah’s need to answer the prayer of this mother. The Lord does that sometimes.. have you experienced how God blessed you to answer the prayer of someone else? (examples)
16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.
I believe that the true blessing here is not that the woman and her son got to eat for many days. The true blessing is that she understood and received the reward of partnering with the Lord.
She received the prophets reward:
41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
Remember that Elijah was commissioned to do the work of God and calling a whole nation to return to God from idols. Talk about giving to the work of God.
Change of Mindset: Fear to Faith
In partnering with God, there is a blessing of just being chosen by Him.
25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
Chosen among millions. You are too. When you trust and obey. “follow Me”, many are called but a few chosen… you have been chosen to join God in a wonderful adventure of faith.
When you allow God to use you for your purpose, He will take care of your needs. But don’t stop there ask Him to use you even more.
You can be a spiritual parent to someone.
15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
One more thing, from the story of the widow, she tapped into God’s supply. Through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ…
16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
We will honor all our wives,
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.