Trusting God When You Cannot Trace Him

...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.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 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.” 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. 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.’ ” So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. - 1 Kings 17: 10-15

God will always deliver those who trust in him. Our faith must exceed having the things of this world alone. We must have faith in God for life today and resurrection tomorrow. In our journey through life, we cannot but experience things that are not comfortable. Whatever comes our way, we are to put our absolute trust in the Lord.

Do you believe in the word of God as to hold on to it, even when things look contrary?

When the Bible talks about women receiving their dead back to life in Heb 11:35, the story of the widow of Zarephath readily comes to mind: The widow who fed Elijah at the time of famine, whose son was brought back to life (I Kings 17:17-23) and the woman of Shunem whose son was brought back to life by prophet Elisha (II Kings 4: 18-37). The widow of Zarephat had good attitude; she was still kind to the prophet when she was about to eat her last meal and die. In the midst of her challenge, the woman was willing to give prophet Elijah water and met Elijah’s tough and higher demand of a morsel of bread in a seemingly hopeless situation the woman found herself.

People can only pretend to be kind when they are comfortable, but you will know the true nature of men when they are under pressure. This is one of the reasons why the devil puts us under pressure; to get us to speak and do things which are contrary to our destiny: but this widow was patient enough to explain things to the prophet who was making request which was almost impossible to grant.

On the insistence of the prophet, the widow obeyed the man of God; even when it meant death sentence for her and her son. What a show of faith! The faith of the widow of Zarephat was displayed by her act of giving to the man of God all that she had at a time of famine, when there was no hope of getting another meal. And when she obeyed the prophet, she was rewarded beyond her expectation. The scripture 2 Chronicles 20: 20b was thus fulfilled in the life of the widow of Zarephat;

“Believe in the LORD, your GOD, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets so shall ye prosper” - 2 Chronicles 20: 20b

I see God prospering you as you trust God, even when you cannot trace Him. Shalom!