“Everyone has a Story” – The Widow at Zarephath (Part 2)
17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” 19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. 20 And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” 22 And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” 24 And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”
1 KINGS 17:17-24 ESV
THE WORST EXPERIENCE
“After this…” After what things? The death of the widow’s son happened after the faith and response of the widow and after the blessing and miracle of God’s continued provision of food mentioned in the previous verses (what we read yesterday). God had miraculously supplied her needs and kept both her and her son alive. And now, suddenly, her son dies. Why did God save her son from starvation but allow him to get ill and pass afterward? Why did God help us get through one hurdle in life and place a bend down the road?
FROM THE WORST EXPERIENCE TO THE BEST BLESSING
We may not have an absolute answer to the above questions. But I have learned that God allows the worst thing to happen in our lives to receive the best blessing. And we call those blessings in disguise. Until the woman experienced the death and resurrection of her son, her knowledge and experience of God might have only been that God is powerful, and He can miraculously provide for her physical needs and solve her problems. While those are true facts about God, they were only bits of knowledge of Him that remained in the woman’s mind. By allowing her son’s death to happen, God also worked in her heart and had that mental understanding about Him transferred from mind to heart.
THE BEST BLESSING
“And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”
1 KINGS 17:24
It was likely that Elijah had been teaching this woman and her son about the truth of God. “Now I know….” and here came the turning point of her story! The resurrection of her son brought her joy and hope. It also gave her a proper understanding of what Elijah taught her about God. She had the first-hand experience that God is the resurrection and life! He not only provides for her needs, but He also gives life, and He reigns in her life. He is sovereign. She finally encountered God personally and received a level up on her faith. Her son was revived, but he would die again eventually. However, she finally met the Lord of Life, who would live forever and supply her with endless joy and hope.
We all like blessings! But the way people measure blessings is on a scale of physical benefits. Therefore, people may have been more interested in the material blessings than in really getting to know God. The Lord, however, is more concerned that we get to know Him personally, and He desires to build a personal relationship with us. Because He loves us. And so, He allows the worst thing to happen in our lives to receive the best blessing. And that best blessing is God, Himself. He is the real joy giver. The Widow at Zarephath has met Him. And today, He is waiting to meet you.
”福“ –
A perfect illustration of Blessing
Get to know more about Him Here.
BY LAURA STORY
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise
Raisins & Apples Bible Devotional & more 
When I was reading the article, I was thinking about the same song you posted at the end (without seeing it first). We think what is “the best” look like but only God know what is “the best”.
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