A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                    THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART III

"I, Elijah, the prophet of God in Israel have been staying in a ravine.... The reason I have been staying in this ravine is because I am hiding from king Ahab.... I told him that there would be no rain.... My words have come true.... There has been no rain.... My God knows it is not my fault that here is no rain.... So He sent me to this ravine to keep me safe and to provide me with water from a brook....I expected for God to keep providing water from this brook... After all, my God is a miracle working God.... But the brook has now dried up.... I have asked the Lord to fill it up with water.... But He has not done so.... This morning I had my last cup of water from the brook.... The Lord then spoke to me.... I have to say He was not too early.... He told me to pack my bags and go to Zarephath in Sidon.... I am to stay with a widow there.... I should go as soon as possible.... I do not have much to pack so it will not take me long to leave.".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that God tells the prophet Elijah it is time for him to move on.....

     
         ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                               THE RUNAWAY PROPHET PART III

In time even the prophet Elijah is affected by the drought he has pronounced because the brook where he stays dries up. Now I am sure God could have done something supernatural so that the water in the brook would have continues to flow but God does not do this for He has a better plan in mind for His prophet. So He tells Elijah to go to a widow who lives outside Israel, even though there will have been many widows in Israel. Elijah may well have questioned God's choice of this widow. Nevertheless, in obedience to God's command he goes to Zarephath and seeks out this widow, whom he knows has been prepared by God to take care of him as you can read in I Kings 17:7-9

Some time 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.

Surely, this widow must be the one who is very able to take care of Elijah.... Or is she?