Midweek Manna: Rich Lessons from A Poor Widow

What rich lessons can Elijah and a poor widow of Zarephath teach us today? Watch today’s Midweek Manna video to find out.

1. God Is Not Bound To Providing The Same Way He Did In The Past. He has a thousand ways to provide for us. Just trust that He will provide and go where He is now providing. (Psalm 50:10-15)

2. All Your Situations Have Purpose. Therefore, don’t downplay even the little you may possess. Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be safe. Believe and obey the instructions of His prophets and you will prosper (Romans 8:28; 2 Chronicles 20:20b).

3. Not Only Will God Supply All Your Needs, He Will Also Forgive All Your Sins, and Heal All Your Mess. Since He did it for this poor widow, why worry? He can and will do it for you too! (Philippians 4:13, 19; Matthew 6:33; Romans 8:32)

8 Then the word of the LORD came to him:

9 “Get up, go to that belongs to Sidon and stay there. Look, I have commanded a woman who is a widow to provide for you there.”

10 So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow woman gathering wood. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup and let me drink.”

11 As she went to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.”

12 But she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I don’t have anything baked—only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”

13 Then Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son,

14 for this is what the LORD God of Israel says, ‘The flour jar will not become empty and the oil jug will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the surface of the land.”

15 So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. Then the woman, Elijah, and her household ate for many days.

16 The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the LORD He had spoken through Elijah.

17 After this, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. His illness became very severe until no breath remained in him.

18 She said to Elijah, “Man of God, what do we have in common? Have you come to remind me of my guilt and to kill my son?”

19 But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, brought him up to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.

20 Then he cried out to the LORD and said, “My LORD God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow I am staying with by killing her son?”

21 Then he stretched himself out over the boy three times. He cried out to the LORD and said, “My LORD God, please let this boy’s life return to him!”

22 So the LORD listened to Elijah’s voice, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived.

23 Then Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, “Look, your son is alive.”

24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know you are a man of God and the LORD’s word from your mouth is true.”

1. What key lesson did you learn from today’s Rich Lessons from A Poor Widow?

2. Identify a need you have or a struggle you’re dealing with right now.

3. Pray and ask God to meet that need or help you handle that struggle victoriously.