After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”
1 Kings 17:17-24 (ESV)
At the beginning of this chapter, we learned that God provided miraculously for Elijah and the widow and her son through the filling of the jars. If you missed it, CLICK HERE for the devotional entitled The Empty Jar Miracle.
The widow had been experiencing great difficulty. She was a single mother. With the nationwide drought, she had no way to get flour and oil. With only a tiny bit left, she was resigned to death by starvation for her and her son. But God did an amazing miracle to provide for and save her and her household through Elijah.
After this happened, more disaster! Her son gets sick. Not just a cold, but so sick that he dies. The bible says there was no more breath left in him.
Then, this woman reacts out of her emotion. I can imagine reacting just like her. This widow who has just experienced the miraculous God of the impossible through the prophet Elijah’s interactions with her. Does she seek his help with her son? Nope. Just like most of us would, she blames him.
And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” 1 Kings 17:18 (ESV)
She lashes out from her own pain. How does Elijah react? Does he get defensive like I probably would? Nope. He reacts out of his relationship with God. He knows this God of the impossible so he jumps into action.
And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” 1 Kings 17:19-21 (ESV)
And what does the bible say? God listened to him.
And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. 1 Kings 17:22 (ESV)
God breathed life into her son when he had none left. Elijah’s faith in the God of miracles saved the life of this boy.
And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.” 1 Kings 17:23-24 (ESV)
All hope in God and trust in Elijah as His prophet restored in one miraculous moment.
But this moment would never have happened if she hadn’t listened and obeyed when she first met Elijah. If she hadn’t made a little cake of bread for him, there is a possibility that she and her son might have somehow survived. However, she would have soon lost her son to illness.
Because she was housing and caring for Elijah, she had set herself up for an even greater miracle than the filling of her empty jars. The priceless life of her son was restored to her.
Immeasurable joy in her home because of a series of miracles from the only One capable of doing them!
A filled jar was not the end of her story, but the beginning of her real miracle.
I pray that I listen to and obey God’s voice. That those desperate needs in my life that are everything in the moment won’t block my vision for the whole story of my life. When God miraculously fulfills my need, let my heart not forget the Lord when difficulties and other needs arise.
Action Step: My goal is that I will respond in a faith-filled, God-centered way when I am tempted to lash out or become defensive rather than see the true issue. I don’t want to miss the miracle that God has for me in the tense moments of life. Each morning when I am praying, I will ask God to help me hesitate when my emotions want to take over. Then, in those heated or hurried moments, I will strive to breathe and think before responding.
Dear God, expand my faith to recognize Who You are even in moments of great emotion and distress. Open my ears to hear Your voice. Help me to obey what You tell me. Give me vision for the overarching story You are writing for my life instead of being derailed by the urgent and immediate. You are great, God, and nothing is impossible with You! In Jesus’ name, amen.