In 1 Kings 17 in the Bible, we read a story about a widow who had run out of hope. You see in the times of the Bible, a widow ( a woman whose husband had died) was often poor. Without a husband or a family member who could provide financial support, the widow was vulnerable. Unfortunately, the widow lived in an area that was experiencing a severe famine. (A famine means that conditions occur so that crops cannot grow.) In the times of the Bible, people grew their food on their land. So if a famine happened, there was little food available. If any food existed it was very expensive. There were no grocery delivery apps or grocery stores.! If you couldn’t grow your own food or buy from someone else, you would starve.
The widow was poor but not entirely alone. She did have a young son, but the story tells us that the widow believed that she would not have enough money to provide for that son. The widow had a jug with a little oil and a jar with a small amount of flour. Her plan was to make one last meal and then the mother and son would starve to death.
Into this terrible situation walks the prophet Elijah. (Remember that a prophet is someone to whom God speaks.) God had told Elijah to go to visit this widow and help her. The prophet Elijah listened to God and did what God said to do. So Elijah visited the widow and asked her to make him a piece of flat bread using her oil and flour. The widow realized that this was all that she had. This was to become her last meal. Elijah told her that if she made him a meal, God would provide all the oil and flour she would need until the rain came again. This meant that she would have food and maybe a way to make money until the famine was over. Wisely, the widow believed that God would care for her. She made Elijah a piece of flat bread. When she looked into the jar and jug, she found that her jar of flour and jug of oil were full. In fact, both the jar and the jug stayed full until the famine ended. The widow and her son had food and were kept safe. God had done a miracle and provided for them.
Now as you think about this, isn’t it amazing that God told Elijah to visit a specific woman in a specific town? This reminds us that God knows and sees us. He cares for us. But in order for the jug and jar to remain full, the widow had to believe that God would provide for her. When she had faith to believe in God, God provided for her needs.
Here is a wonderful Bible verse that reminds us that God cares for us.
“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him”.
Nahum 1:7 ESV
You can review the story of Elijah and the widow as you colour this picture.
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