Tuesday, October 31
What Keeps You Going
Narrative Lectionary Daily Devotions written by Kace Leetch from Clergy Stuff.
The drought caused by King Ahab's wickedness turns out to have more impact on the innocent than simply on King Ahab. God sends the prophet, Elijah to a widow who has just about run out of food due to the drought. She is preparing her final meal with her son before the food runs out and they prepare to die. Thankfully, Elijah saves the day by insisting she feed him, and in doing so, will ensure food enough for the three of them to survive until the drought ends. The woman had given up. Elijah had not.
Since today is Halloween, we're going to send a shout out to the zombie apocalypse. In The Walking Dead, people must fight to survive in a world where zombies threaten humanity's very existence. The fascinating thing about this series isn't the zombies, but the people. It's about their will to live. Or not. Some fight with everything they have to survive. Others give up quite quickly when the going gets rough. (And there's not much rougher than a zombie apocalypse.)
If you're a brave soul who doesn't mind the gore, you can check out a clip here. When a mom's child dies, she loses her will to live. Her giving up is heartbreaking, if not understandable.
Warning! This scene is violent. Not intended for young viewers.
What keeps you going when things get rough? Is it a deep desire to overcome? Is it faith? Is it love? Whatever it is, find it and hold it tight. Things will get rough. And you will survive.
Narrative Lectionary Text: 1 Kings 17:8-16
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.” As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.