He Lives!

It has been much too long since my last post. I apologize. My wife is cancer free now, but she had a major setback with infection causing her to have two more surgeries. That has taken me out of pocket for these last few weeks. Infection is finally gone and with your prayers she should begin to regain her strength. She will apparently not have to undergo chemo. PTL! She is still quite tired and weak, however, so be sure to keep on praying for her. Thanks.

Now back to our story: We left off with Elijah staying in the home of the widow God led him to at Zarephath. Elijah, the widow, and her son were enjoying the fruits of Elijah’s labor in the truth of God. They were experiencing the miracle of the bin of flour and the jar of oil never running out. God was blessing them beyond measure because of their faith and trust in Him and His Word. It was a joy to behold.

But then something happened—the son died. “Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. So she said to Elijah, ‘What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?’” (vs. 17-18). The widow had to be asking herself, “What happened? Where is God? Did I do something wrong? What is going on?” It is at moments like this that God’s resurrection power shows through—times when we are driven to be totally dependent on Jesus.

It was at this time that Elijah’s faith would shine. “And he said to her, ‘Give me your son.’ So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. Then he cried out to the LORD and said, ‘O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?’” (vs. 19-20).

He did not stew or fret or pound his fist in the air blaming God. No, he simply took the boy upstairs to his room, got on his knees, and prayed. He turned to God for wisdom and help. He was walking by faith.

His trust was in the Lord. He knew that only God had the answer. He knew that only God had the power, the resurrection power, to meet the situation head on and bring the son back to his mother. So he prayed and trusted God. He relied only on God.

“And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD and said, ‘O LORD my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.’ Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived” (vs. 21-22). Elijah obeyed God. He lives God’s Word as sure as he speaks God’s Word. He did as the Lord directed and God revived the boy and brought him back to life.

Now might be a good time to point out that the word “Zarephath” comes from a Hebrew word meaning, “to melt,” or “to smelt.” As a noun, it means  “crucible.” Zarephath is the place of the cross. It was here that God first raised someone from the dead. The two always go together. No cross; no resurrection. So when you experience a cross, rejoice, because that is when God’s resurrection power is close by.

The stories of Elijah go back and forth between what God was doing in the world through Elijah, to what God was doing in Elijah to prepare him for those things. In my previous posts, we saw the things God did to get Elijah in a place where he was totally dependent on Him. He weakened him; He removed his strength and his ability to provide for himself, so that Elijah would be totally dependent on God, which would be the place from which Elijah’s greatest power would flow.

The channel of God’s blessing is often our weakness. Are you experiencing something that renders you weak? That is not a sign of God’s judgment. It is a sign that God is working the power of His resurrection in you. When you are weak, it is an opportunity to depend on Him. When you are weak, it is an opportunity to hope in Christ and a time to demonstrate to everyone that you have a hope that goes beyond this life. When you experience the cross; it is a chance for God to pour out the power of His resurrection.

God saved the world through an innocent man dying in weakness. If He is going to bring that power into your life, into your family and your world, He will not do it in your strength; He will do it in your weakness. Jesus said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). It is when you share in “the fellowship of His sufferings,” that you can walk in “the power of His resurrection” (Phil. 3:10). “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10b).

The son was restored: “And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, ‘See, your son lives!’” (v. 23). In Elijah's moment of weakness, God acted in strength and answered his prayer. Even the widow recognized that God was the one at work.

When I was in college, I was involved with the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. They always said, “Share the gospel clearly and leave the results to God.” That is what Elijah did. He did God’s work and made His Word clear, then he left the results to God. God provided the miracle and God also led the widow to respond in faith. She clearly saw that Elijah stood for God and that his word came from God: “Then the woman said to Elijah, ‘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’” (v. 24).

For Elijah it was a time of waiting on God and a time of trusting in God. God was working through him to make him into the man God intended—a man of faith; a man of character; a man after God’s own heart. For three and a half years God was molding and shaping Elijah for the mission He had for him.

He wants to do the same with you. Being built by God takes time. What He wants from you is for you to have faith and trust in Him. He wants you to let Him make you new, to change and reshape you into the person He wants you to be—a man or woman after God’s own heart. Amen.