1Ki 17:24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.

                                                               
In 1 Kings 17, we are introduced to one of the greatest prophets of God – Elijah. His name means Yahweh is my God. Elijah appeared suddenly in the dark days of king Ahab and became the dominant spiritual force in Israel. It was a crucial time in the history of Israel. Ahab was ungodly. He introduced Baal worship throughout Israel. Elijah was bold enough to confront him.

Elijah came to Ahab with this message: “As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word” (v.1).

It was a challenge to Ahab and his gods. Elijah challenged: “Jehovah lives and He will cause a drought throughout all Israel and your gods cannot do anything about it.”

The drought came and God told Elijah to hide in a brook where He would send ravens to feed him (v.2-6). God took special care of His faithful servant.

When the brook dried up, God told Elijah to go to Zarephath and dwell there and He had commanded a widow there to sustain him (v.7-16). The woman had only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. She was preparing to eat her last meal with her son and then wait to die of hunger. Elijah told her to first make a cake for him and then for herself and her son. He assured her that that jar of flour would never be empty and the jug would always have oil in it, and this would continue until the day the LORD sent rain to the land (v.14). The woman believed and did according to the word of Elijah. She demonstrated faith in the man of God.

One day, the woman’s son became sick and died (v.17). She blamed it on Elijah. She assumed Elijah’s presence caused God to take notice of her and punish her for her sins. This idea that death and misfortune are due to someone’s sin prevails even to the time of Christ. The disciples of Christ saw a man that was blind since birth. They asked Jesus: “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1, 2).

Note Jesus’ answer: “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:3).

Elijah healed the widow’s son. What was the result? “Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth” (v.24).

Miracles served to prove the mighty power of God and produce faith. The widow’s faith was strengthened upon seeing her son back from the dead. She was quick to blame Elijah when her son died. But she was also quick to believe when her son lived.

Daily, we struggle with our faith. When babies are born with major birth defects, or when cancer strikes, or when a loved one experiences continuous pain for years without relief, we struggle to trust God. However, we can thank God for His Word to comfort us: “But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies” (Lamentations 3:32).

God has a purpose for the grief He allows into our lives. Most of the time, we don’t know what that purpose is. Still, He wants us to trust Him. Trusting God in the midst of pain and heartache means that we accept these things from Him. We accept He is Sovereign and He is Lord of our lives. So we pray to Him because we believe He hears our prayers. Whatever the answer may be, His will be done. Faith in God means we allow His will to be carried out in our lives. Do you believe?