Eat, Little Brother Eat!

God says to Elijah “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow there to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. 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 olive 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.”13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.14 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 sends rain on the land.’” 1 Kings 17:9‭-‬14 NIV

Pause... I got a question.... if God commanded a woman to supply the Prophet with food, please tell me why he had to ask her for it?

Today, in our text we meet a Prophet by the name of Elijah. Elijah start this particular chapter by speaking a famine upon the land of the people of God because of their idolatry and Baal worship. This is also a famine that would affect him. Therefore, God tell Elijah to go down by the brook and stay there until He speaks again. Not only will this place be safe shelter for you but raven will supply you with food and you will drink for the brook. Which mean Elijah had a system of supply min the midst of a famine because He was will to obey. The passage never says how long he stay but we do know Elijah went through a season of living by the brook side with a system of supply from God.

After He fulfills his time by the brookside It dried up because of the famine was still in effect, which mean there was no rain to replenish the brook. God then says to him “go to the land of Zarephath to be fed. I have commanded a widow women to feed you.” Elijah being an obey prophet as we know him to be follows the instructions of God. Notice God never gave him a name but a description. Might, I suggest you’re about to get blessed not because of your name but because of what you been through. She was a widow, which implies her conditions we’re critical. Dead husband, probably no income, no land, wandering endlessly. So God sends her a Prophet!

Elijah approaches the woman as she is gathering sticks for a fire and she asked her to bring him some water. First thing I notice is; she never complained or questioned where she would get the water. Elijah had now water, in the midst of the famine the widow knew where to get water. Her response to the first request got her access to another. He then takes it a step further and asked for some food. I’m sure he was thinking well if she has water, I’m sure this the one that got bread too. She replied by saying “As surely as the Lord your God lives, I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive 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.”

Pause… and might I suggest that you're never know what’s in your hand until you organize your cards. Excuse me, but my folks played “Shade” and for even the ‘Uno’ players. I believe everyone can attest to the fact that whenever you’re in a battle or on a budget; it always best to know how much firepower you’re working work. In our to be a good steward you have to be able to lay your books and balance it accordingly. Nevertheless, the Prophet said okay since she can't see what I see.. "Go do as you planned... but before you make you and your son some thing, make me some first."The Widow says I don't have any bread. But then turns around and say but I do have what it takes to make bread... Doesn’t that sound like people these days…The Prophet will say give a seed of five dollars. Yet people reply saying, I don't got five dollars, I just have these ones I'm holding on to for Christmas… in essence it the same thing . Often times, we're so busy holding on to what we have that we forget to trust that God will give more than we had... Might I even suggest you may be the one striving because you never decided to feed someone else. God is a give and take type of God.

Moral of the Story: You have been commanded to be fed! God set up a system where every person feds from another. You have also been commanded to feed! As a leader, shepherd, member, student; God's system has been design to follow a reap and sow, checks and balances principle. Therefore, hear the Word of the Lord: there are a remnant of striving people tormented by the disobedience of others. Once before, the disciples tried to feed Jesus, He didn't eat because He said "his meat or in other words his meal was to do the will of God." Luke 4:43 This means Jesus was fed through doing God's work. Naturally & Spiritually. Nevertheless as the Spirit of the Lord gave it to me, "there is a remnant of people that are striving from not being fed. For as Jonah was commanded to do the will of God but ran. So have many done the same in this day. They run from the command. Someone is commanded to feed you! By performing the will and work of God in your life! Yet because so many have run, the Spirit of God says I will swallow them up. And stop the rain. Notice when the woman obeyed the prophet her possession never ran out, which not only kept her and her family fed but the prophet too. Often times fear tries to trick us into thinking that we won't get anything back from feeding or helping the next people. So I will leave you with this, God commanded someone to feed you, psychically, spiritually, mentally, and financially just as much as He has commanded you to feed others, if not more! And for every person for resist or disobeys, with God we command that their rain be stopped and that their fruits would die.

#ProphetOmariousFann #prophets #1King17