1 Kings 17: Serving Each Other
IT SEEMED TO Elijah that he was the only person in Israel who served God. Ahab had just become the king, and he was already more evil than his father, Omri, had been. And now God was asking Elijah to give a dire prophecy about no rain in the land. All Elijah wanted to do was get away from everything and not do anything important. Most of all, he wanted someone to take care of him for once.
Warming Up to God
When have you felt that you didn't want to be responsible for anyone else, that you just wanted to be taken care of?
Read 1 Kings 17. »
Discovering the Word
- Why does God send Elijah first into the Kerith ravine and then to the widow at Zarephath (v. 1)?
- What service does the widow render to Elijah (vv. 7-15)?
- What service does Elijah render to the widow (vv. 13-14, 22)?
- How is the widow's response to her son's coming back to life (v. 24) different from her statement in verse 18?
- What two (or more) things are accomplished by the relationship between the widow and Elijah?
Applying the Word
- At what time in your life did you help someone in a difficult situation and find that that person had helped you also?
- Sometimes God can't use us in the way he used the widow and Elijah in each other's lives because we aren't open to the possibility of mutual service. How do you need to change in order to be open to such a relationship?
Responding in Prayer
Pray for awareness of the blessings you can give and receive through Christian service.
For Further Study
The Pursuit of God in the Company of Friends by Richard Lamb