Have you ever been in a situation, seen something, or had someone tell you something so utterly astounding that you found yourself saying, “You have got to be kidding!” 
This week as we continue our look at the life of Elijah, we will find Elijah in numerous situations that will lead him to cry out, “God, you have got to be kidding!” As we ended last week, Elijah had been drinking from a brook and the brook had just dried up.
Sometime later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.
I Kings 17:7
I want you to remember that phrase “sometime later” it implies that just when everything looked good ... everything was comfortable ... everything was right ... sometime later ... then ... it’s always the "and then" that gets us ... if no other way we can relate to the "and then" for Elijah this week.
Sometime later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the LORD came to him: "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food." So he went to Zarephath.
God now sends Elijah to a new place for protection, training, and nourishment. God’s provision at this time would seem to be even more extreme than the last. This time God has directed Elijah to the center of the enemy’s camp and of Baal worship. Zarephath is a suburb of the capitol of Sidon. You might remember that Sidon is where Queen Jezebel’s father lives and is King. He is not only king, but he is also the high-priest for Baal. From Elijah’s view point, he is not getting farther away from his problems, but rather he is going straight into the proverbial lion’s den.
Additionally, God has instructed Elijah that he will be cared for by a widow that he will meet in Zarephath. This alone is a strange request. Widows were not to be taking care of others. Quite the opposite, the people were called to take care of the widows.
Remember this is still a patriarchal society and women have no real means of support other than their husbands although it was possible that a widow could be well taken care of as a result of her husband’s wealth and inheritance. Remembering his experience with the ravens and the brook, Elijah is obedient and travels to Zarephath several 100 miles to the northeast with the expectation he will meet a widow that will be able to care for him.
When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks.
Upon his arrival in Zarephath, Elijah sees a widow near the town gate. He is able to identify her as a widow by her clothing (black dress). She is gathering sticks. This woman obviously had little or no means as evidence by her collecting remnant sticks for a fire. These sticks would have fallen off wagons that entered the town. They would have been of such little consequence or size that no one bothered picking them up, except the poorest of poor. At the least Elijah must have been curious, “Is this really the widow that God told me about?” As a test or as an act of obedience, Elijah calls out to her. I think it more of a “you aren’t the woman I am to meet are you? Please say no, please say no, please say no!”
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 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."
I think at this point Elijah is certainly thinking to himself (if not yelling under his breath), “God, you have got to be kidding! I trusted you and went to the ravine, I trusted when you said the ravens would come, I trusted you when the brook dried up, I trusted you when you said go to Zarephath, I even trusted you when you said a widow would care for me, but now you must be mistaken, God you must be kidding, surely it is not this widow!”
But, Elijah is again obedient to God’s leading and calls out to her one more time making an even greater request of her.
Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "
She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.
For nearly three years, the jar of flour and oil never fill up and never run out. There had to be a moments of déjà vu. How long did it take before they stopped being amazed every morning? How many times during this time did they try to save flour and oil only to have it spoil?
But wait there is still more to this story in Zarephath.
Sometime later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing.
Sometime later (same phrase when the brook dried up – kinda just when everything seemed good) The widow’s son becomes ill and dies.
She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?"
The widow reasons that this is Elijah’s fault and at this point even Elijah gets in on the act and exclaims to God, “God, you have got to be kidding me!” --- well sort of at least in my translation that his what he says.
"Give me your son," Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed.
Then he cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?"
Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!"
The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, "Look, your son is alive!"
Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth."
The son’s life is returned and the widow’s eyes are opened to see clearly for the first time that this man Elijah is no ordinary man, but rather he is an extraordinary man of God.
This man doesn’t just say his God is Yahweh (remember the meaning of his name?)…
this man lives it with his life and his actions!
Are you looking for something more in your journey of faith?
Then allow God to lead even when it doesn’t seem to make sense.
For you will discover God’s leading is often surprising. Just ask Elijah.
Looking for something more in your journey of faith?
Remember that continuing your journey is often the hardest. God is faithful, but sometimes the provisions are only enough to get you by day to day. Just ask Elijah.
Looking for something more in your journey of faith?
Obedience will always be required. In order to take in all that God has promised and is ready to give requires your obedience and your trust.
Just ask Elijah.
Are you looking for something more in your journey of faith?
It is said that “A journey of a 1000 miles begins with but one step.”
That first step is TRUST the second step is OBEDIENCE
God wants more from you than ordinary.
God has planned extraordinary things planned for your life.
Unlock the extraordinary and begin to make the choices to live your faith.
What is (or has) God been calling you to do?
What are you waiting for?
Take a step of faith and begin living your faith.
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