Elijah

Good Morning, everyone! What a beautiful day! We have so much to do today, and it is all with family and friends! I love summer....isn't it amazing to finally emerge from our winter cocoons and enjoy all of our friends once again!!!

I have gotten so many e-mails from you guys encouraging me to keep up the devotions!!! Wow!!! I am so excited that this means something to so many! God is so good, isn't He!!

So, Elijah has traveled to Zarephath (like a good prophet would). It is interesting to note that the name Zarephath means "crucible" and the other meaning is "to melt or refine". This was definitely a place of refining for Elijah. In the refining process, all of the impurities are removed from metal, and it is made pure so it can create was it was intended for. The next obstacles that Elijah faced would surely refine anyone. Crucibles in our life create Christlikeness, as Chuck Swindoll says.
God told Elijah to go to Zarephath and a widow would take care of him. When Elijah arrived in Zarephath, he did find a widow at the gate of the city gathering sticks. Elijah asked her to bring him water and a piece of bread. Why not? Hadn't God promised him this widow would take care of him? Well, the widow's reply had to of shocked Elijah! She told him that she had no bread. Just a little flour. She was gathering sticks to prepare the last meal for her and her son. Then, they would starve to death. How discouraging would this be after walking over 100 miles to be obedient to God? We would probably begin to question God's provision....but not Elijah!!! He immediately told her not to fear. He was absolutely sure that God would fulfill his promise to take care of Elijah through this widow. He told the widow to feed him first and then make food for her family. Okay! Can you imagine being a widowed mother trying to provide for your very heart and soul (your child) and some stranger tells you to feed him first? God would have to be in the center of this situation! I can imagine myself saying, "are you crazy? If you think I am going to feed you before I feed my baby, you must be!" Yet, this widow did exactly what she was told. In exchange for her obedience, her bowl of flour and jar of oil remained full until the Lord sent rain to the land.
What are we missing out on because of our lack of immediate obedience? The gift God gave this woman was more than bread. It was the very gift of life. She was at a point of desperation. She was gathering sticks to feed her child for the last time. This was an impossible situation to her. Then, along comes this man who believed without wavering and spoke to her with confidence. She must have been overwhelmed with hope by the way he commanded her to feed him. She must have felt God in the center of his confidence. I can't imagine any other reason why a mother would choose the needs of Elijah over her own child unless she felt the very presence of God in the situation. Elijah's belief in the impossible encouraged her to believe. Chuck Swindoll says, "You can't light another's candle of hope if your own torch of faith isn't burning. You can't encourage somebody else to believe the improbable if you haven't believed the impossible."
In my opinion, there are two lessons to be learned from this simple interaction between two people.
One, when we believe the direction we receive from the Holy Spirit and act on it, others will find hope in our faith.
Two, when we see faith in action and we trust it, even in our most desperate situations, God's gift is new life. Are we missing out on many blessings because we are not obedient?
Chuck Swindoll says it like this, "Man's obedience and God's faithfulness - that's a combination that leads to miracles!"
Did you think the refining process would end after this? No, it's not that simple! Believing in bread and water is big, but this next situation is bigger!!! I don't want to make today's devotion too long...so, I will share part two of this story with you in tomorrow's devotion!
I want to share some more quotes from this book and a few verses from scripture with you that I really enjoyed from this chapter.
I pray that I will always believe the impossible. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt what my God can do to this cancer. Every morning I pray the name of Jesus over the spots in my body. I know the healing power the name of Jesus holds. We just have to believe it and act on it. I have learned this through the example of a wonderful believer named Johnny Towe that is a living example of this very scripture. He was healed of inoperable, stage IV lung cancer because he believed. Now, he shares his experience with EVERYONE he meets. He cannot hide his belief in the power of God for one second. May I strive to be like Johnny Towe!!!
Chuck Swindoll:
"Being determined to perfect His saints, [God] puts His precious metal into His crucible. But He sits by it, and watches it. Love is His thermometer, and marks the exact degree of heat; not one instant's unnecessary pang will He permit; and as soon as the dross is released so that He sees Himself reflected in the fire, the trial ceases. As soon as the Lord sees His image in you, the furnace cools and you are ready for the next series of events He has planned for you."
"A promise fulfilled is often the result of our obedience."

Scripture:
"Behold, I am the Lord, God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?" Jeremiah 32: 27
"For nothing will be impossible with God." Luke 1: 37
"But He said, 'The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.' " Luke 18: 27
"Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm!
Nothing is too difficult for You." Jeremiah 32: 17