Daily Devotional for Monday, April 7

One Godly Prophet

“And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth,” 1 Kings 17:24.

As notoriously wicked King Ahab took the throne in Israel, God raised up a powerful prophet. Elijah the prophet first appeared on the pages of Scripture in 1 Kings 17 as he boldly declared a drought on the land to Ahab. The Lord knew Ahab’s and Jezebel’s reputation and heart, and He protected Elijah by sending him to the Brook Cherith. Elijah obeyed, and the Lord sent ravens to bring food to him.

God continued to care for Elijah, but He sent him outside of Israel to a town in Sidon. There he commanded a young widow to feed Elijah, but the command came through Elijah. The drought was severe, and the woman and her son were out of food. She was prepared to make one last meal from the meager ingredients she had: a handful of flour and a tiny bit of oil. They were going to eat that and die. God sent Elijah there to save all three of them! Elijah told her to make him a cake of it first and then make some for herself and her son. She obeyed and trusted him, and God stepped in. They all ate for many days, and she provided a place for Elijah to stay.

Some time later, the woman’s son became ill and died. Elijah laid the boy upon his own bed, stretched out on top of him three times and prayed, and God restored his life. He returned the boy to his mother who proclaimed the words above in 1 Kings 17:24. God proved Himself to her by working through Elijah. A widow in a foreign land trusted in the God of Israel, the one true God, because of Elijah’s faith and obedience.

THOUGHT

May our faith and obedience lead others to trust in the Lord.

Kelli Reynolds