Looking back over the past several articles from 1 Kings 17 (if you missed any, I encourage you to just read the Scripture – it’s always the best, anyway), let’s consider some implications for our own choices going forward.
When we are undergoing trials, let’s first check to see, 1) if God is disciplining us for something that we need to change in our lives, or 2) if we’re just caught up in the general mess that sin created in this world. Sometimes, like Elijah, we may find ourselves in a tough situation so that we can be used as a message to others. When that’s the case, let’s make sure we deliver the right message.
When we are caught up in bad situations and terrible times (even after we have repented of our own sins), let us look to God for His support. That doesn’t mean that things will always be cushy and cozy, but He provides according to His great power, His great love, and His great plan.
And, when it seems like we’re down to our last dime, our last dollar, or our last bit of bread dough, let’s not give up. Sometimes, we might be like the woman in the first-century temple in Jerusalem who Jesus complimented for giving her last 2 coins (see Mark 12:41-44, Luke 21:1-4). God can multiply our last remaining supplies, but He can also provide for us when we’re down to nothing at all.
Finally, God’s intervention in our lives takes many forms. He may not choose to perform every miracle that we ask Him for, but He’s still working for good (see Romans 8:28). Let’s remember that, and choose to respect even His responses that we don’t understand or don’t agree with. May we trust Him for the results. And, if we don’t see any good in what God is doing, let’s ask Him for insight – for eyes to see even a little of what He sees.
After studying a chapter where God provided both the ingredients for bread to a widow who demonstrated trust in Him, and where He raised her son to life after an illness, I’d like us to remember two verses from John 6, where we learn more about Jesus Christ, and what God wants for those who look to Him.
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 6:35 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.6.35.NIV
For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
John 6:40 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.6.40.NIV
I can’t necessarily tell you what God has in mind for you (or for others) to receive from trials, but I do know that He loves you and that His plan is better than anything you or I could come up with on our own. I know that there are good things that God has prepared for us, and that sometimes we find those in trials, after trials, or through trials.
So, no matter what, when God calls you to do something, do it! And, if you’re not sure where to begin, start by trusting in His Son, Jesus Christ, and trusting Him to take you on a better path than our own ideas can ever plan out. Then, we can embrace both easy and difficult situations, although the latter are often when we really find out whether or not we trust Him. It’s not a question of whether or not He is faithful: only whether we will be.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for May 4, 2025
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – 1 & 2 Kings, by Jesse C. Long, Jr. © 2002 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 