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Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.’ So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, ‘Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.’ ”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, November 1, 2020
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: Sometimes aid comes in the most unexpected places.
Elijah was a prophet to the northern kingdom (after the northern kingdom of Israel split from the southern kingdom of Judah). King Ahab and Queen Jezebel had brought priests and followers of the god, Baal into the kingdom and discouraged Israel from following God.
It was a dangerous time to be a prophet, as Jezebel and Ahab were vicious and ruthless. Often, when Elijah spoke God’s words to the people, he found it necessary to flee from the reach of Jezebel or risk execution.
Following a prophecy of drought (as Baal was a god of thunder and lightning, predicting the cessation of rain also challenged the power of Baal), Elijah fled to Sidon, a land outside the realm of Jezebel. Throughout Elijah’s ministry, he regularly complained to God that he was alone, destined to suffer in isolation. But God sent him to an unlikely ally—a poor widow. Despite her lack of resources, she shared what she had with Elijah, and through Elijah, God promised that the widow’s resources would not run out until the day the rains returned (when her resources could be replenished naturally). For a long time Elijah, the widow, and her son survived on the manna God sent.
Elijah—one of the greatest prophets claimed by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—couldn’t survive without help. Even Elijah couldn’t do it alone. For us, independence is revered as a great accomplishment. But it can come at a great cost. Independence can lead to isolation, and isolation to despair. Instead, God has created us to be interdependent on one another. We were made to be in community, to live and work alongside others, relying upon their gifts and sharing ours. Elijah’s gift was prophecy. He didn’t necessarily have the gift of hospitality. The widow’s gift was hospitality, and she shared it even though she had little to offer.
Consider how much more we could accomplish if we stopped trying to do it all by ourselves. What’s your view?
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