“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.” (1 Kings 17:14)
Have you ever felt like your back was against the wall—with no good options, no clear direction, and no idea what God is doing? You’re not alone. Some of the greatest figures in the Bible faced desperate situations where everything seemed hopeless—until God showed up. One such story is found in 1 Kings 17, where we read about the prophet Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. This is one of many powerful miracles in the Bible that reveal how God often uses problems to set the stage for His promises. God had called Elijah to confront Baal worship in Israel, a dangerous assignment that made him a target. Elijah and Jezebel’s story begins here—Jezebel, the wicked queen, vowed to kill him. So Elijah fled to the Brook of Cherith, where God provided for him through ravens that brought food. But then the brook dried up. With famine ravaging the land, Elijah had to move again, into another seemingly impossible situation. God directed him to a widow in Zarephath who, at that very moment, was gathering sticks to prepare her final meal. She had only a handful of flour and a little oil left—just enough for one last meal for herself and her son before they expected to die. Incredibly, God told Elijah to ask this woman to make a small loaf of bread for him first, and then something for herself and her son. It was a bold and seemingly unreasonable request. Yet Elijah gave her a promise: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.” (1 Kings 17:14) Amazingly, the woman obeyed—and the miracle happened. The flour and oil never ran out, just as the Lord had said. But the story didn’t end there. Sometime later, the widow’s son became gravely ill and died. In her grief, she turned to Elijah. Once again, Elijah cried out to God, stretched himself over the boy, and pleaded for his life. God heard Elijah’s prayer and restored the boy to life. Why Does God Allow Suffering? Feeling hopeless and lost is a deeply human experience. You may wonder, “Why does God allow suffering?” The Bible consistently shows that His promises often begin with a problem. When the Israelites were trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea, Moses cried out—and God parted the waters. When David stood before Goliath, the odds were stacked against him, but God gave him victory. When the disciples were in a storm-tossed boat, Jesus calmed the sea with a word. Each of these moments had something in common: a problem too big to solve, a circumstance too dire to change, apart from a miracle. |
