1 Kings 17:13 NKJV
And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.”
The faith of the widow at Zarephath—whom God used to feed the prophet Elijah during the famine in Israel—is one of those that stand out in the Old Testament (1 Kin 17). She was affected by the impact of the famine just like everybody else in the land. In fact, she would say to Elijah, “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die” (1 Kin 17:12 NKJV). However, God sent His servant at just the right time, and with the appropriate, superior Word for the season. The LORD was up to meeting the needs of His servant, and He also had the widow’s family in mind as well.
On his part, Elijah had to believe the word of the LORD and leave for Zarephath (1 Kin 17:8-9). As for the widow, she had to believe the word of the prophet (as in our text): “Do not fear; [but] go and do…”, Elijah said in part. Hallelujah! Notice, whereas the situation at hand was real, God’s word was superior. But the widow had to decide either to believe God’s word through His servant or be overtaken by the famine. Indeed, it is one thing to “not fear”, yet another totally different thing to “go and do” what the LORD says, now that you’re not afraid. In other words, it’s not enough to simply be unafraid; what truly brings about the desired change is obeying what God says—whether through His Word, prophetic instruction, or the leading of His Spirit.
Thankfully, the widow obeyed the word of the LORD through Elijah. Hallelujah! Turned out, “The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah” (1 Kin 17:16 NKJV). The transition from extreme lack to such a sustained superabundance was totally supernatural. Notice again that the widow’s belief in and obedience to God’s word came before the overflow of blessing. Throughout the Scriptures, that is often God’s set pattern for accessing His supernatural interventions. “Do not fear; go and do [what God says]…” The rest is His to handle, and He is faithful. Hallelujah!
Pst. Emmanuel