When Things Get Tough
1 Kings 17:7-16
Then the word of the LORD came to him:
“Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there
to supply you with food.” When things get tough the first direction from God is…GO!
The application surely has to be that God, who is Lord of all things, sometimes demonstrates his Lordship by providing for his people in ways they might never expect.
When things get tough the second direction from God is…GET!
“So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” “As surely as the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread–only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it–and die.”
1 Kings 17:10-12 NIV
In tough times it is easy to become distracted by what we don’t have and miss what we do have.
When things get tough the third direction from God is…GIVE!
“Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth’ ”
1 Kings 17:13, 14 NIV
Faith is the step between promise and assurance.
Sermon Questions
- In 1 Kings 17:7-16, God instructs Elijah to go to Zarephath during a difficult time. What does this teach us about trusting God’s guidance when we face challenges in our own lives?
- The widow at Zarephath had very little but was still asked to share what she had. How can we apply this lesson of generosity and faith in our own situations, even when we feel we don’t have enough?
- Elijah’s request and God’s promise required the widow to take a step of faith. Reflect on a time when you had to act on faith without knowing the outcome. How did that experience strengthen your trust in God’s provision?