If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance],
he is to ask of [our benevolent] God,
who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame,
and it will be given to him. (James 1:5 AMP)
Once upon a time, as all good stories begin, there was a wicked king married to an even more wicked queen. God sent a prophet to warn them to turn away from their evil ways, or he would withhold rain from the dry and parched land. The king and queen scoffed, but the prophet—true to God’s word—spoke, and no rain came. The king was furious, and the prophet found himself in great danger.
At first, God protected the prophet by providing for him at a stream, but when the stream ran dry, God directed him to a widow in Zarephath. However, when the prophet arrived, he found the woman gathering sticks to prepare the last meal she and her son would ever have. There was no food left, and she was preparing to die with her son.
Despite her dire situation, the prophet Elijah, full of faith, asked her for a drink and a piece of bread from her remaining supply. “Do not be afraid,” he told her. “Go and do as you have said. But first, make me a small loaf of bread and bring it to me. Then you can make some for yourself and your son. For the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not run out, and the jug of oil will not be empty until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.'”
The widow was faced with a choice. Would she trust what she saw, or would she trust the word of the Lord through the prophet Elijah?
If you were that woman, would you have believed Elijah’s words? Would you have trusted that your flour and oil would never run out if you first fed him, especially in the midst of a drought? I’m not sure I would have had the faith to believe it. But, evidently, she did. Though she had a choice in that moment, the Bible makes no hesitation: she obeyed. She did exactly as Elijah had asked, and for many days, she, Elijah, and her household ate without running out of flour or oil. Just as God had promised through Elijah, they were provided for.
Sometimes, our days are filled with small, seemingly insignificant decisions. Other times, we are faced with big, difficult choices. We make decisions during tough circumstances, hoping we’ve done the right thing. Sometimes, we have a clear word from God that guides us, and sometimes, we don’t. But in all things, we have the quiet, guiding presence of the Holy Spirit within us, helping us navigate decisions.
Like the widow, we may not always know why we choose to trust God’s word, but we are often blessed for doing so. The widow received great blessings and provision for caring for the prophet.
I don’t know what kind of decision you are facing today, but I pray that, no matter what circumstances you’re going through, you will hear the still, small voice of God. May you clearly know what decision to make and feel the peace that transcends understanding, guarding your heart and mind as you do.
Holy Spirit,
Guide our hearts, minds, and faith so that each decision we make is according to your leading. Help us to have the faith to believe in you, no matter what. May our choices honor you and further the work of your Kingdom within and around us, we pray in Jesus’s name. AMEN.
And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours]. (Philippians 4:7 AMP)
And behold, the Lord was passing by, and a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, [there was] an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, [there was] a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, [there was] the sound of a gentle blowing. (1 Kings 19:11-12 AMP)
Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” And the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Go from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan [River]. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to sustain you there [with food].” So he went and did in accordance with the word of the Lord; he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he would drink from the brook. It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” So he set out and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks [for firewood]. He called out to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a jar, so that I may drink.” As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar. See, I am gathering a few sticks so that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it [as our last meal] and die.” Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. Just make me a little bread from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. For this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted nor shall the jar of oil be empty until the day that the Lord sends rain [again] on the face of the earth.’” She went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, in accordance with the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah. (1 Kings 17:1-16 AMP)