Tuesday October 11, 2022

Scripture Passage: 1 Kings 17: ¹⁹ “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. ²⁰ Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” ²¹ Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”

Life Lesson: The ministry of the church is to extend the grace and power of God in this world to those who have no hope.  We declare in Christ Jesus the power of the resurrection!

– Here in this record of scripture God gives to us a window through which we can gaze into a seemingly hopeless crisis and discover the victory our faith in Christ can extend to those without hope.

– The response of the man of God after being berated by the widow’s accusations is not to try to defend himself or the God whom he serves, but instead to say, “Give me your son”.      

– Church, we need not offer our explanations as to why a tragedy has unfolded on another, or endeavor to defend why God has allowed it; rather we can open our arms to the bereaved and the grieving and invite them to share their burden with us. 

– We can do more than simply hear the pain of others; we can take their pain by prayer to God!  This is precisely what Elijah, the man of God did in response to the widow’s inconsolable pain.     

– How do we bring hope into a hopeless situation?  We do so in the name of Jesus!  How can we, the church, offer light when the darkness is almost palpable?  We can through the mighty name of Jesus!  His light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never put it out!

– Stop trying to explain why and instead seek the One who holds all the answers!  Elijah was looking at a situation for which there was no hope, no quick fix, no explanation that could ever suffice and he did not run from it; he walked toward it, and he extended his arms inviting the widow to place her hopelessness upon him.

– Christian, we might not know what to do, but we know the One who does!  We might not know how to help, but we serve the One who can!  What Elijah did here was unprecedented in scripture!  Nowhere in scripture is there any record prior to this account of anyone being raised from the dead!  But Elijah looked ahead to the power of the resurrection as he was led by faith!  The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead led Elijah to believe God for the impossible!  

– We serve the One who has already defeated death, hell, and the grave!  By faith, we always have reason to hope and to offer that hope to those in despair!  The power of the resurrection is at work in those who believe!