We often remember Elijah as a prophet of judgment because of the fact that he prayed for rain to stop and fire to come down from heaven. But this is probably an oversimplification. One trait that is worth underlining, despite his moment of great discouragement, is his obedience. The Lord told him to go to the Brook Cherith, and then to Zarephath, where a widow would maintain him. His obedience not only kept him safe, but also brought blessing and safety to this widow and her son. First, by the miracle of provision for their food, they ate for many days; we do not know how many, but some translations have one year—the word “days” can mean a year. Let us notice that this came about because the widow also obeyed Elijah’s word. Their respective obedience brought mutual blessing.

We can be certain that during this period Elijah did not stay in seclusion, but had many occasions to speak of the God of Israel to the widow and answer her questions. But despite the miracle and everything, she might have wondered if what the prophet was saying about the God of Israel was really right. Were there not many gods after all? But at the same time, there was a work of God in her heart. It is when her son got sick and died that everything was brought to a climax. Had Elijah come to her only to remind her of her iniquity, and cause the death of her son? Was his God only a God of judgment? Indeed, drought, scarcity of food, sickness, and death were the only things she saw. It is when her son was brought back to her alive, following Elijah’s intercession, that she exclaimed and confessed, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth.”

Elijah’s obedience brought not only blessing to this widow but also true faith in the true living God. May we all walk faithfully before the Lord Jesus so as to be a blessing to others too!