Monday, September 12, 2022

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 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.” 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. 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.

1 Kings 17:7-16

For the past four weeks, we have covered restoration, revival, renewal, and refreshing, and their integral place in the life of the believer. This last week, we will cover replenishing. There are three occurrences of this word in the Bible: Genesis 1:28; Genesis 9:1; and Jeremiah 31:25. Even though scholars dispute the use of the word in Genesis 1:28, it is clear in the subsequent passages that the word denotes a filling after being emptied.

In the passage above, the widow and her son have been emptied due to the drought and their personal circumstances. First Kings 17:1 states that the prophet had declared there would not be any dew or rain for the next few years. The inhabitants of this community would be adversely impacted by the lack of rain. This would mean death of livestock and plant life. No water, no life. There would be an “emptying” because of the lack of rain.

This woman would also be impacted by her personal circumstances. She was a widow, and she had a child. She had no man to provide for her. But we serve a God who works through mysterious ways. In the midst of this woman’s “empty” situation, he had the prophet to go to her for sustenance. So, we have the national drought, the widow’s personal drought, and a demand of both her child and the prophet.

What has emptied you? What has left you limp with little energy to move on? If you feel like that widow, this is your week.

PRAYER: Lord, this prayer is for those who have been depleted by the circumstances of our world and those who are behind their closed doors. I pray that you take the little left and make much. Replenish in the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.