In review of 1 Kings 17:8-10a it says, “Then the LORD spoke his word to Elijah, ‘Go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I have commanded a widow there to take care of you.’ So Elijah went to Zarephath.”
Bottom Line:
When God speaks / communicates, Take action and obey. God will take care of the details regardless of how the circumstances may appear..
What this means to me:
God speaks his word. I am to listen and do what he asks. He will provide and take care of the details for me. Then regardless of how uncomfortable it may seem, I just need to move forward and execute. As simple as this sounds, it can be difficult, especially when doing so scares me and makes me feel vulnerable, not knowing where I’m going. Nor do I know how long it’s going to take, or know what’s going to happen once I get there. To combat these feeling, I need to remember that the path to a miracle is always through uncomfortable territory. As illustrated in 1 Kings 17:8-10a: “Then the LORD spoke his word to Elijah, ‘Go to Zarephath in Sidon and live there. I have commanded a widow there to take care of you.’ So Elijah went to Zarephath” (NCV). God told Elijah to walk to a place that was more than 100 miles, during a drought, through dangerous territory, where everyone knew who he was, and everyone knew King Ahab had a price on his head. When Elijah finally made it to Zarephath, he met a poor widow who was going to feed him, but how could she help defend or protect him from a pagan town full of people who wouldn’t hesitate to kill him? What I’m learning is that miracles don’t happen when things are comfortable. Rather, miracles happen when things are uncomfortable. The Bible doesn’t report Elijah second guessing or saying, “God, there are three things wrong with this plan. One, you’re sending me in the wrong direction. Two, you’re sending me to the wrong location. And three, you’re sending me to the wrong protection.” Elijah just obeyed. Another example comes from the life of Moses. When Moses led the Israelites out of slavery to the Promised Land, they had to go through the Red Sea first. Also, before David could slay Goliath, he had to walk onto the battlefield. God told Jehoshaphat to put the choir before the army, and he’d win the victory. All these things took a great deal of faith. I can’t expect a miracle to occur when I’m in my comfort zone, when everything’s great and convenient. I usually won’t look for or need a miracle when everything is settled and doing well in life. I only need a miracle when I’m on the edge, when I’m scared to death, when I’m insecure, when I could get hit at any angle. So the key is to remember that when I face times with life is a little uncomfortable (financially, emotionally, relationally, or physically) or I’m little nervous, on the edge, or insecure. When these conditions are present, I’m likely on the path to God performing a miracle. Just like Elijah did, God wants me to obey. This way I can see his miracle at the end of the road. Today as I reflect on things that may be making me uncomfortable, the notion of reaching out and meeting with others in my life comes to mind. God has put this on my heart now for many months, and now that I’m healing well and ready to get back to a more normal routine, I just need to obey and take the first steps. I’ll ask God to give me the courage to move forward knowing that He will take care of all the details. I just need to step out. Furthermore, I’ll initiate getting together with a few other guys for accountability and encouragement.
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