To listen to the blog post “What Single Moms Can Learn From The Widow Of Zarephath” over reading it then click the play button below.
Before we get into the lessons that you can learn from the widow of Zarephath I also want to encourage you to read the whole chapter in its entirety (1 Kings 17:7-16). I will be taking bits and pieces from the section and pointing at specific verses that relate to you as a single mom.
But it is beneficial to know what the whole chapter says. But before we get into I mentioned the widow of Zarapeth in my video specifically for single moms that you can watch below. And don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking here.
The Widow Of Zarephath – #1 You Can Have Feast In a Famine
The widow of Zarephath Bible verse: Sometime later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 1 Kings 17:7
This verse refers to famine but can I get an amen from single moms who have felt that they are going through a season of famine in their life. You can check out my blog on when I was failing as a single mom, to see my season of famine and how it played out.
Here I was laid off from my job, no money, and barely had any food. Could not get a decent paying job even though I had two degrees. It sucked. When I think of famine, I think of a drought that is due to no fault of your own. That could be being broke, jobless, and stressed out.
All of these situations are a form of famine. This is very similar to the widow of Zarephath, it is not like she could reverse the famine and find food for her and her son. She just had to go through the season that she was in. And hope she came out alive.
What you can learn from the widow of Zarephath:
We all go through something, we all have a season in our life that is both good and bad. But just because you are going through the bad season in your life (much like a famine) does not mean that God is against you, and He wants you just to lay down and die.
When you are in the middle of the famine, I know that it can feel like you just want to give up, but there is a lesson to be learned even in the middle of a desolate place. When I went through that famine season in my life, it was SOOOO terrible. I cannot tell you how awful it was, how awful it felt, and how depressing it was.
I would NEVER want to repeat that season in my life, BUT I did learn from that season in my life. That famine season was not something I could change and/or control. So I just gave it to God and allowed Him to fix it.
And when you see tangible miracles in the way of your bills getting paid when you have no physical way to pay them or people gifting you with things that you have only prayed to God about. That is when you realize that even though you are in the famine you do not have to sit around and starve.
This is something that I spoke about when I had my OWN struggles as a single mom which were ALOT trust me. There were times where I thought I would starve for real. But like the widow of Zarapeth God always came through. Watch my video below for my struggles and how I got through it.
The Widow Of Zarephath ~ #2 God can send someone to help you
The widow of Zarephath Bible verse:Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food. 1 Kings 17:8-9
The above verse is when God directed Elijah to go to the widow and ask her for some food. As a single mom I know when you have prayed for some type of breakthrough or assistance and you do not see it come, you may be wondering if any help is going to come at all. Just know even if you cannot see the support or see where the help is going to come from, help is on the way.
Here is a true story. When I lost my job, I had just bought a new house. I had so many plans for my new home. I was going to buy a new computer desk and a new carpet for my dining room. But of course, when I got laid off, I could not afford these things, and I remember just whining all the time about it to God. I mean really just getting all His nerves about how I could not afford these things I wanted for my house.
The first week of moving into my home, the realtor came to me and asked me if I wanted a computer desk. The realtor’s office was moving and they were getting rid of furniture. Of course, I wanted a desk that is all I whined about. He even got some guys to come and set the desk up in my home. The answer to prayer one. Answered prayer two came with the carpets. My friend had bought a three-piece carpet set, and it did not match her living room furniture so she asked me if I wanted them. I DID. Another prayer answered.
What you can learn from the widow of Zarephath:
My point is that while I was sitting around and complaining about the fact that I could not afford these two things. God had already sent someone to answer my prayers. And my prayers were answered unexpectedly. The same for Elijah. Not only was Elijah sent to be provided for by the widow, but Elijah was sent as an answered prayer for the widow. Also, check out my video below for other ways that God has helped single moms in the Bible.
The Widow Of Zarephath ~ #3 Don’t Lay Down and Die
The widow of Zarephath Bible verse: As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” 1 Kings 17:12
This perhaps is one of my favorite verses of this story. Not because I take enjoyment of a widow starving BUT because it was such an honest moment. Here comes a man asking for some food, telling you that God sent him to you and he wants to take the last bit of food from you and your son. The widow was like umm hecks no. I barely have food for myself let alone to feed you.
I remember being in the same situation. After I was laid off from my job, I lost like 20 lbs. I would buy food, feed my son first, and then take whatever food was left over, which was not much. I remember when I was out of money I was like OMG I feel like I am just going to lay down and die. We have no food what will I do.
But I also remember in those moments that despite my situation you would never know it. Because I was in need, I knew what it was like for other people to be in need. And so whenever I could offer words of encouragement to someone else, or it was in my ability to help someone else out I would. And I would do it with a smile on my face. It may sound a little crazy but since I was suffering it made me more aware of other people’s suffering.
For example, I was watching a show in the Trinity Broadcasting network about children who had NO water. Like literally these children were going to this animal watering hole with feces and dirt and they were drinking this water. Often times they would die from the polluted water.
God convicted me and told me that no matter how bad my situation was I could still go to my water faucet and drink water and not worry about dying. Some people have it worse than me. And then God told me to donate $60 to the organization. That money may not seem like much to you, but it was much when it came down to the fact I had no money.
What you can learn from the widow of Zarephath:
Don’t forget to give. Even with my act above it was not just about the money. It was about obedience. God was saying I am telling you to give and are you going to trust Me enough to give money to someone that is worse off than you? I know you cannot spare the money but will you be obedient? Similar to the widow.
“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41:44
It is not about the amount you give but the way in which you give. For offering up what you have when you do not have much shows the amount of faith you have in God. Which brings me to my next point.
The Widow Of Zarephath ~ #4 Fear Not
Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’” 1 Kings 17: 13-14
Did you know that the Bible says not to fear 365 times and there are 365 days in a year? The meaning I get from that is every day you wake up God does not want you to fear but instead wants you to trust. When you read this verse not only did Elijah tell the widow not to worry but she also had to have some trust that what he was saying was true.
I mean anyone could come up and say that God has commanded her to give them food, but that does not make it true. She really had to believe that Elijah was from God, what he was saying was true, and that if she gave him the last bit of food that was reserved for her and her son then somehow some miracle would come into place. Also, check out my video on how to learn not to fear.
What you can learn from the widow of Zarephath:
During my hard times, I used to have a massive issue in trusting God. But when you think about it what do you have to lose? With the widow of Zarephath, she did not have enough food, and she thought she was going to die. When Elijah came with his proposition to give him food the worst-case scenario would have been she gave him food, he was NOT who he said he was, and the widow and her son would die anyway.
Giving Elijah food may have made them die faster, but really she had nothing to lose, she was already damned if she didn’t. That is what I do not understand people who have issues trusting God. You are already in a bad situation if you trust God you can be in a good situation.
So why not choose to trust God in those situations that are already bad, there is a chance that it could get better. And if there is a chance you mine as well try. For the widow of Zarephath, she took a chance, and it paid off. She went from dying to having a life. Therefore, choose to trust God, what do you have to lose?
These are the four lessons you can learn from the widow of Zarephath the story is such a small section in the Bible, but it just goes to show how many lessons are PACKED into each and every verse and chapter. This is why I encourage you to read it on your own and gather your own experiences from them.
If you know someone who could read this post, then feel free to share it with them.
Did you know that I have a book specifically for single moms To know more about my No Nonsense Single Mom’s Devotional then click here. Also, click here or the picture below, and I will give you the first few chapters for free if you are not sure.
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