1 Kings 17: Moving On
Monday, July 7, 2025
This two-part story reminds us that the Lord provides for those who are willing to follow God; and it also tells us that we cannot snuggle into the comfort of a refuge we know well. Our true security rests not in the safe harbors we find in life, but in our relationships and in the trust we place in God. This is the message we find in the verse that bridges the two parts of today’s Noontime.
The prophet Elijah has reason to fear Ahab. The king’s wife Jezebel has made it plain that her goal is to rid the kingdom of prophets and this is the likely reason that Elijah hides as the Lord bids him after he delivers his fearsome prophecy to King Ahab. Concealing himself in the Wadi Cherith, he survives with water from the stream and food brought to him by ravens. All seems safe and well until God calls him to Zarepthath of Sidon. Rather than hold onto the security he has found in the wadi, Elijah moves on – as God asks – to help first a widow and then later her son. Elijah not only improves the lot of this impoverished little family to make the world a more humane place, he also allows himself to know God more intimately. He moves out of his safety zone to bring life to those who barely eke out a living.
We may have experienced for a time the desperation of not knowing where we will find the food to feed our families. Perhaps we have suffered the misery of working with a colleague who has condemned us or of going home to a loved one who has rejected us. Maybe we have crept to the edge of life itself thinking it better to bring all to an end. These are the times when a kind look, a warm smile or a gentle touch heals the wounded heart. This is when a few understanding words that acknowledge pain without censure bring the sweetest balm of all, the healing hand of one who has moved out from a safe harbor to bring others safely home.
We may say that not all of us can be Elijah for we cannot resuscitate life. In truth, this does not matter. God knows the prophet, God knows the widow, and God knows each of us. This alone is enough for us to take courage, it is enough for us to move on.
Images from: https://www.artbible.info/art/large/730.html and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bernardo_Strozzi_-_Prophet_Elijah_and_the_Widow_of_Sarepta_-_WGA21919.jpg
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