1 Kings 17:17-24
Introduction
In 1 Kings 17, the prophet Elijah stayed in the home of a widow and her son. The son became so severely sick that he died. This situation devastated the widow, and she wrongly believed that God’s purpose was to punish her sins by causing her son’s death. But God had a plan to revive what was dead. Like the widow, there are some situations in our lives that need to be revived.
The widow’s story challenges us to remember God’s provision. In verse 17, the phrase “after these things” refers to how the widow came out of a drought where Elijah provided for them through divine power. The widow saw herself as going from problem to problem, but she forgot about the provision of God she had just experienced. We forget about God’s provision when we view our lives as going from problem to problem or trial to trial. A new trial can give us spiritual amnesia of a former triumph. If we forget what the Lord has done, we will not have confidence in what He can do. Through our circumstances, God’s purpose is not to crush us but to teach us to persevere and draw us closer to Him.
The widow’s story also challenges us to pray and trust the Lord with all our concerns. When Elijah said to the widow, “Give me your son,” it reflected how God calls us to surrender to Him. God asks us to give it to Him—whatever we are holding onto that has been destroyed, desolated, and depleted, we think even the Creator of the universe cannot do anything about it. These are the things we need to give to God in prayer. We have trusted the Lord with our lives for salvation, but then we often do not trust Him with our problems. If we call on God, as He commands us to do, we will discover His power to overcome our challenges.
Getting Started
- Do people tend to remember good or bad experiences? Why do you think that is the case?
- When something is over, finished, dead, or gone, what causes people to keep holding on?
Let’s Get Personal
- What situations have you blamed on God in anger instead of looking to Him for provision?
- Have you ever brought a prayer request to church but not truly brought the concern to God? What held you back from trusting Him?
- If God did it before, He will do it again. Do you believe this, and how does it impact your daily life?
Take the Next Step
- What are you holding on to that you need to give to the Lord? How can you begin trusting Him with that situation now?
- Write down some situations where you have seen God’s provision in your life. Plan how you will thank God consistently for His provision so that you do not forget what He has done for you.
- Want to dig deeper? Take a look at the following passages: Psalm 34:18; 121:1; Mark 6:52; Galatians 6:7; Colossians 3:1-2; Hebrews 4:16.
Renew Your Mind
“He said to her, ‘Give me your son.’ Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the upper room where he was living, and laid him on his own bed.”
1 Kings 17:19
