March 1st - Reflection

1 Kings 17:1-16 (NRSV)
God feeds the widow
Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." The word of the Lord came to him, saying, "Go from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." So he went and did according to the word of the Lord; he went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the wadi. But after a while the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you." So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink." As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." But she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth." She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

Reflection
Here is an example of faith in action on several levels. Elijah was told to go and God would provide the food he needed from ravens. Scholars dispute about the meaning of this word and some think it may be Arabians because it has the same consonants as Ravens in Hebrew, but the point is that Elijah had to have faith in what God was calling him to do and to go and depend on something or someone else for sustenance.

So Elijah trusted God and went. Water ran out from the brook from which he was drinking  and God told Elijah to go once again and a widow would care for him.

The next level of faith is involved through the widow. She gave all she had. She had faith in Elijah and in God. All survived on the gracious acts of God and the acts of one another in their walks of faith with God by their side. A remarkable relationship has been formed between God and each person involved. A relationship that grows in our dependence on God and on one another.

Individual beliefs and race and all prejudice were left at the door. Only the command of God and the promise that each person would be cared for mattered. Today when we reach out to new disciples, we need to leave all of our judgments at the door and form those remarkable relationships, knowing that God will take care of all our needs. A relationship grows in our dependence on God and on one another.

Likewise in our personal life, we can leave worry behind, God will take care of us. He may even feed us with ravens and bring us together in faith and love with another of his children. With God we will live. With God we will live in faith...on several levels. Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord, you teach a deep trust and faith that brings life through love. I give you thanks for the love you have shown me in Jesus. I give you thanks for the love you have shown me through those daily blessings you shower me with in the lives of others. Send me, this day in faith to live the life you have prepared for me in your Kingdom. I go in the faith and trust that you will provide. --- Amen