Elijah’s ministry partner, the Widow of Zarephath, faces a crisis as her son falls ill and dies, leading her to lash out at Elijah. Jeff discusses the tendency to misinterpret suffering as punishment from God. Elijah responds with grace and prays earnestly for the boy who miraculously comes back to life. Through this passage, we learn that even in tough times, we should turn to God, trust His power, and know that He can bring good out of bad situations.
Life can be terrifying. Storms can press in from every direction. Anxiety will rob us of peace and joy. There once was a man overwhelmed by life, and yet he discovered how to face his fear. Where can we find this courage? Join us as we learn from Elijah.
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1 Kings 17:17-24 (NIV)
Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
“Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”
Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”
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