🌿BREATHE TRUTH🌿
Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.” —1 Kings 17:8
But Elijah said to her, “ Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for you and your son. For this us what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “There will always be flour and oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” —1 Kings 17:13-14
🌿LIVE THE REAL TRUTH🌿
Zarephath is situated 8.5 miles south of Sidon and 12 miles north of Tyre, sandwiched between these two large Phoenician cities. Jezebel’s Father, King Ethbaal, is the king of Sidon and Tyre, and a high priest of Baal. His name means “ with Baal.” The dominating religion here is Baal idolatry. Jezebel’s zeal for Baal is a consequence of her upbringing, the climate of a Baal-following royal family and nation.
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Our faith moves mountains.
When Jezebel marries King Ahab, she forces her idol worship upon the people of Israel and finds to kill as many prophets of the Lord as possible. Her most famous death warrant is for the prophet Elijah who has been hiding in an obscure brook. After the brook dries up, God gives him a new set of coordinates to flee to. He calls Elijah to go to the last place in the universe anyone would think of: Queen Jezebel’s homeland. Yes, this is surprising news. But the real shocker is yet to come.
The person God sends Elijah to in Zarephath is a believer. A believer surrounded by her Baal-worshipping countrymen in a Baal-worshipping country. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains. The widow of Zarephath is that tiny mustard seed amidst a seashore of thousands of sand granules. Her faith is going to move mountains like you’ve never seen.
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Our God opens doors.
God is a door opener. God opens doors for us to walk through and put our faith into action. When presented with the decision to share her last meal, surrender her last resources, and shelter a man of God in an idol lasting land, she agrees. God opens doors of faith for her to advance through to see the mountains roar like never before.
Every day when she goes to the altar, the flour and oil jars are full, and the mountains are in action.
Monday: God is doing a resurrection. The mountains are reveling.
Tuesday: God is doing a rebuilding. The mountains are reaching.
Wednesday: God is doing a revival. The mountains are rocking.
Thursday: God is doing a restoration. The mountains are rolling.
Friday: God is doing a resuscitation. The mountains are reawakening.
Everyday: Jars of flour and oil are full. The mountains are r-i-s-i-n-g.
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Our life comes alive.
Amidst this pervasive atmosphere of Baal idolatry in Zarephath, how is it possible that a believer can gather the grief of her circumstances, grow faith in God, and give glory to His name? In this widow’s life, we see the impossibility become an extraordinary reality.
Nothing is impossible with God. We don’t live to see the mountains. But our lives comes alive when we see the mountains move.
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©️2019 Jordan Su