Go! And Trust the God Who Provides Life! - 1 Kings 17:7–24, Luke 4:25–26
Opening Prayer
Lord God Almighty, You are the Giver of life, the Sustainer of hope, and the One who speaks and it is done. Thank You for Your Word—living, active, and powerful. Today, as we study the story of Elijah and the widow, open our hearts to Your truth. Reveal Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, and draw every heart closer to You. May Your Spirit stir repentance, faith, and renewed trust in Your perfect provision. In Jesus' name, Amen.
1 Kings 17:7–24 (NLT):
7 But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land.
8 Then the Lord said to Elijah,
9 “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.”
10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?”
11 As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”
12 But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”
13 But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son.
14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”
15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days.
16 There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.
17 Some time later the woman’s son became sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died.
18 Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?”
19 But Elijah replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the child’s body from her arms, carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body on his bed.
20 Then Elijah cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, why have you brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?”
21 And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.”
22 The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived!
23 Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look!” he said. “Your son is alive!”
24 Then the woman told Elijah, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the Lord truly speaks through you.”
Introduction
This moment in Scripture is intense and raw: a drought, a starving widow, and then the death of her only son. The setting is Zarephath—a pagan land outside Israel, in modern-day Lebanon, near Sidon. And yet, God sends His prophet, Elijah, not to a wealthy household, not to a powerful leader, but to a poor, grieving Gentile widow.
In the New Testament, Jesus Himself draws attention to this very story in Luke 4:25–26 (NLT): “Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon.”
Jesus was making a vital point: God’s grace is not confined to borders. God’s mercy and provision reach the outsider, the Gentile, the hurting, the helpless.
Point 1: God Provides in Unexpected Places
Elijah obeyed God’s Word. God told him to go to Zarephath—enemy territory, where Baal worship dominated—and trust that a widow would care for him. Humanly speaking, this made no sense. Widows were the most vulnerable people in society, and Zarephath was the centre of idolatry.
But in that hopeless place, God was at work.
Maybe you’re in a Zarephath today. Dry brook. Empty jar. Shattered heart. But hear this: God provides in unexpected places, through unexpected people, at just the right time.
Philippians 4:19 (NLT): "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus."
Zarephath (???????) means refinery or smelting place. It was a place of testing, purifying.
Brothers and sisters, sometimes God leads us into the fire—not to destroy us, but to refine us.
Charles Stanley once said: "Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him."
That’s exactly what Elijah did. And it’s what God calls us to do, too. Trust and obey.
Point 2: Faith Responds Even When Fear Screams
The widow was on the brink of death. One last meal. One last moment. But when Elijah speaks God’s promise, she chooses faith over fear.
1 Kings 17:13–14 (NLT): “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first... For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says...”
That tiny step of faith unlocked provision. Her jar never ran out.
Hebrews 11:1 (NLT): "Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see."
The Empty Jar
A missionary in Africa once shared how villagers, during a famine, would mix crushed bark and mud into flour to stretch it. One widow gave her last pure flour to feed the missionary, trusting God. Two days later, aid unexpectedly arrived—bags of flour, just when it was needed.
Faith doesn’t always make sense. But it always makes a way.
R.T. Kendall wrote: "Total forgiveness requires faith—faith that God is in control, that He is bigger than your pain, and that His justice will prevail."
In the same way, total trust in God’s Word—especially in the dry seasons—requires faith in His provision, His timing, and His goodness.
Point 3: God Brings Life Where Death Reigns
The miracle of provision was amazing. But then tragedy strikes. The widow’s son dies. And grief overwhelms her.
She lashes out at Elijah—“Have you come to point out my sins?” (v.18)
Yet Elijah doesn’t rebuke her. He takes the lifeless child in his arms, brings him before the Lord, and cries out. God hears. God answers. God restores life.
John 11:25–26 (NLT): Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying."
Greek "Resurrection" (???stas?? / anastasis): Literally means a standing up again. This boy stood again because God intervened.
This moment in 1 Kings foreshadows the resurrection power of Christ—our ultimate hope.
Tim Keller put it this way: "The Gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed than we ever dared believe, yet more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope."
The widow knew her sin. She saw death. But she also saw resurrection. And her testimony at the end is beautiful: “Now I know for sure that the Lord truly speaks through you.”
Gospel Presentation:
Friends, this story points us to a greater Elijah, a greater miracle, and a greater hope—Jesus Christ.
He left heaven and came to a spiritually dry land.
He entered our brokenness, our suffering, and our death.
On the cross, He bore the weight of our sin. He died. But on the third day, He rose again.
Like the widow’s son, Jesus stood up again—not by another prophet’s prayer, but by His own power, proving He is the Son of God.
And He now offers you eternal life—not just survival, but full, abundant life in Him.
Invitation to Salvation:
Have you trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour?
Have you repented and turned from your sin?
He calls you today. He loves you. He died for you. And He rose again for you.
Romans 10:9 (NLT): "If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Will you receive Him today?
Call to Action for Believers:
Trust God when the brook dries up.
Obey His Word, even when it feels risky.
Feed on His promises.
Intercede in prayer for those around you.
Proclaim the life-giving Gospel to a dying world.
The Refilled Jug:
There was a missionary who kept a cracked jug on his table. When asked why he didn’t replace it, he said, “It reminds me that God’s provision often comes through broken vessels.”
Friend, you may feel cracked and useless. But if God can use a Gentile widow and a dried-up brook, He can use you.
Benediction:
May the Lord who sustained the widow sustain you.
May the God who raised the boy raise your hope.
May the Word that brought life to a dead body bring life to your soul.
Go now, in the name of Jesus, and trust the God who provides life.
Amen.
