I want to start out by apologizing for not posting anything on the blog this week. On Monday, I got sick at work, and I was sick for three days. I am doing good right now, and I thank the Lord for that. I am glad that I feel well enough to get this message posted and to get back to work.
Before I get into this week's message, there is something that I want to address. There have been people who have read the blog in the past that are upset about the post I made about the problem of guns and gun violence here in the United States. I've lost some readers because of that post. I do not take anything back that I said. It is a problem, and it must be addressed. There are a lot of Christians in my country who need to get over their obsession with guns.
If you've been reading the blog, you know that we've been in a series of messages dealing with the life of the prophet Elijah. He is an important figure in both the Old and New Testaments, and we will see that in this week's message. We've seen that Elijah told Ahab that it would not rain and a drought would be over the land because the people had fallen into a grave state of idolatry. Elijah was a wanted man. He fled from the king's pursuit to a brook where the Lord had the ravens bring him food.
Eventually, the brook where Elijah was staying dried up due to the ongoing drought. The Lord made sure that His prophet was taken care of. He told Elijah to go to a widow's home in the city of Zarepath. Zarepath was outside of Israel located in Phoenicia.
When Elijah arrived at the widow's city, he first asked her to bring him some water to drink. He also asked her to bring him some bread. She told the prophet that she didn't have any bread. She just had a little flour and oil left. She was going to use that to make one last meal for herself and her son, and then they would pass on. The prophet exhorted her to have faith. He told her to make something first for him, and then something for herself and her son. If she did that, she would not run out of flour or oil until the day that the Lord brought the rain back.
The widow of Zarepath had faith in what Elijah said, and she believed in the God of the prophet. She made something for Elijah, and then something for herself and her son. Elijah stayed with this family for many days, and just as was promised, the food never ran out.
Jesus referenced this story when He was preaching in His hometown of Nazareth. In Luke 4 Jesus said that a prophet was without honor in his hometown. He said that there were many widows in the land in Elijah's day, but he was only sent to the widow in Zarepath. Jesus also said that there were many lepers in the land, but only Namaan was healed. The people of Nazareth became very angry with Jesus when they heard these words.
So, what can we learn from this story and from what Jesus had to say about this story? The first thing that strikes me is that God takes care of those who are trying to serve Him. The Lord made sure that provision was made for the prophet. Elijah had a mission to carry out, and the Lord was going to provide for him and keep him safe until that mission was carried out. In our lives, we have to trust that the Lord will take care of us until His plans for us are accomplished. This is often difficult to understand, but we need to have faith in the promises of the Lord.
This story also shows me that the Lord uses all kinds of people to accomplish His purposes. This widow was poor and on the verge of starvation. She wasn't even an Israelite. However, God knew her heart. He knew that He could rely on her to accomplish His purposes in the world. To some, she may have seemed unimportant and insignificant, but there are no unimportant or insignificant people with the Lord. Everyone is important to Him, and the Lord can and will use anyone who is willing to have faith in Him and obey His word.
I also find in this story, that God cares about all types of people. God's love was not centered on one ethnic group or just one nation. He loves everyone all over the world. One of the great scenes in the Bible is found in Revelation where people from every race and ethnic group are worshipping the Lamb.
Now, what message was Jesus giving? He was using two examples of people outside of Israel who demonstrated great faith. They believed, and they received the goodness of the Lord. Jesus knew that He had come unto His own, and His own would not receive Him. However, those who would receive the Lord Jesus would be forgiven and have a relationship with Him. He would give them new life. Jesus said whosoever will may come to Him and enter into His rest. Amen.
Prayer Requests
I want to thank the Lord that I am feeling better, and things are going better with my job. Thank you for your prayers. Also please pray that my area will stop having so much rain. Flooding is becoming a real concern.
Please continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus. Pray that the sick will recover.
Pray for peace in Ukraine. Prayer is also needed for Syria, Yemen, Chad and Sudan. Pray for all nations experiencing conflict.
Continue to pray for those hurting from what happened in Buffalo and in Texas. Pray that leaders will seek solutions to the problem.
Remember to pray that the fires in New Mexico might be extinguished.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in the nations of Vietnam and Togo. Pray that many will come to know about the love of Jesus.
Next week, we will attempt to get back to normal on the blog. I will post the verses on Monday, and I will try to post something midweek. I will post the sermon on Friday. May God bless you all.
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