Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Twice blessed

the_widow_of_zaraphath.jpg (428×600)
 In an attempt to help the people repent, the Lord's prophet Elijah prays for a draught and a famine follows. At first, Elijah lives by the brook Cherith and is fed miraculously by the ravens.  Then the brook dries up... 

1 Kings 17:8-16
¶And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,
 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
 11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
 12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
 13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
 14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that theLord sendeth rain upon the earth.
 15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
 16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.

There are so many things to love about this miracle.  My grandpa passed away almost exactly two years ago.  He was almost 90, and had been sick for a very long time.  He was very sick in the 10 days leading to his death, and my family prayed earnestly for his release.  Death didn't come quickly, and it was heartbreaking to witness.  Reflecting on it afterward, my dad said, "Maybe more people needed to be part of the miracle."  Many people reached out to serve our family, and their love was like rain in a time of draught.  God could have continued to sustain Elijah by the ravens, but rather, He intended to include more people in the miracle. 


I have also experienced the miracle of being saved by the service I have given.  I know as disciples of Christ we are supposed to go about doing good, but service does not always come easily.  The miracle reminds me that the Lord provides me opportunities to service as a means to bless me.  Everything the Lord does is twice blessed. 

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