The Ministry of a Mother
8. And the Word of the Lord came unto him saying,
9. “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”
10. So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?”
11. As she was going to get it, he called, “and bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
12. “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.”
13. Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.”
14. “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.'”
15. And she went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.
1 Kings 17:8-15
Defining Ministry in Service Terms
If we are not cautious, the rituals and ceremonies that have attached to the mission of the Church, can confuse the simple role of ministry. What do I mean by this statement? The first issue that is presented by rituals and ceremonies is that it is built on the fallacy that man has the ability to get close to God by performing some deed or routine. If a person shouts loud enough or they pray fervently enough, then they will get God’s attention and receive God’s favor. The assumption is that if a person performs well or ministers or serves God “good enough” that performance will earn God’s blessings. That concept of ministry is built on the notion that we owe God something and must do our best to pay the debt through good deeds. Needless to say, the Gospel is not founded on what mankind can do for God, but rather, what God has done for humanity. God’s Grace is just that: it is a gift. You cannot earn it, achieve it, or do your best to get it. God gives it out as an outpouring of His love. No one, absolutely no one will ever deserve it and therefore it can never be based on works. Ephesians 2:8-9 declares, for by Grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves … it is the Gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. So, ministry is definitely NOT based on the works of man but rather the works of God performed by people.
Another issue with ministry or serving is that of confinement. People will attempt to restrict ministry to the inside of the worship edifice or Church building. I refer to this as the “temple ministry.” Along with that would be the restriction or confinement that has to do with the ministry being performed by certain people. Under the Torah or Law of Moses, it was only the tribe of Levi that could conduct the services of the Temple and the priesthood had further restricted that role to the descendants of Aaron. This has raised a couple of critical questions. We must consider whether or not service is needed outside the “temple walls.” Furthermore, we must consider whether or not those who inherit the ministry position even have the qualifications, the dedication, or the willingness to serve God. To both of those concerns we can simply say that ministry or serving can certainly extend beyond the temple and beyond the limitations of a few select people. In other words, God has something for everyone to do, if they are willing to serve.
This is what makes this particular passage in 1 Kings 17 interesting. We are seeing in the Old Testament two examples of ministry to God that is not based on the Temple worship, the priesthood, or ceremonies and rituals. One is based on the prophetic ministry to the people of Israel. Elijah is fulfilling that mission of declaring, as his name means, that “Yahweh is God.” As God’s prophet, his duties are to pray to God for direction, obey God by declaring the Word of the Lord to a nation plagued by idolatry, and to perform the signs that God directed him to perform. In short order, Elijah’s assignment was to show up, speak up, and do as God had directed him. Elijah was faithful in carrying out that assignment.
Yet there is another ministry that has been totally overlooked in this passage for the most part, and it is the ministry of the widow from Zarephath. When it comes to rating ministry importance, many will look to the noticeable tasks, but those who work behind the scenes, as this widow did, are nonetheless just as important. Listen to how the text introduces her assignment from God. And the Word of the Lord came unto him saying … “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” God instructed Elijah to go to Sidon and find this widow and she was going to take care of him during the drought. Just to give you some idea of the back story of the drought, a few details are in order. Elijah pronounced the three year drought by the Word of the Lord. King Ahab was trying to find Elijah so he could kill him. In response, God was sending the prophet to a most unlikely place called Zarephath. It was Jezebel’s hometown and the very center of Baal worship. If that wasn’t difficult enough, the Lord sent him to a widow there who was absolutely destitute. This brings us to our first main point about the ministry of a mother. Ministry is best conducted by those who know the meaning of being in need. If you want people to serve others, then select those who have faced that same need in their life.
Learning from a Widow Indeed
Elijah must have been completely shocked that God would send him outside of the nation that he was told to give them the Word of the Lord. But then, he was instructed to go to a city steeped in pagan worship. To top that, he was sent to a widow who had no means of taking care of herself. Yet Elijah knew that these were God’s instructions and he had to follow them. Sure enough, he arrived in Zarephath and found to woman picking up sticks to make a fire. Most would brush over this tiny detail, but those who have grown up in the country are familiar with “gathering kindling” to make a fire. Those from the country would also recognize that if you had to gather kindling from the gate of the city, that meant that you were really poor. If folks in the country didn’t have anything else, they at least had their own wood pile. This woman did not even have a wood pile to call her own; that meant she was in trouble. But before Elijah could process the situation, God had already confirmed that he was in the right place. The Lord had spoken in his spirit that whatever provisions the woman had would be enough to sustain them in the drought.
This brings us to the second main point about the ministry of a mother. Ministry depends totally on God’s provision. It is usually the mother who knows how much food that is in the pantry. It is usually the mother who knows what each child will need to sustain them. That mother not only prays over the meal after it is prepared, she prays over the meal before it is prepared. That mother knows that if God does not provide, there will be no provisions. Yes, I can hear some mothers praying, “Lord, make a way – even where it seems that there is no way.” Another mother prays, “Lord do it for me.”
This is a true story given to me by a lady by the name of Ruby Coleman Tyree. Ruby grew up in the Fairview Heights section of Lynchburg to a poor family. She recalled one Thanksgiving when her family was so poor that they could not afford a Thanksgiving dinner. As a matter of fact, that holiday, they had nothing at all to eat. Her mother was a woman of faith and believed in the power of prayer. Ruby, a little girl at the time, was told to fix the table and plates on the table. She said, “why Momma – we don’t have any food to put in them?” Her mother insisted and she complied. Then, as the mother directed, they were told to bow their heads as she led the prayer. Her mother prayed a simple prayer but one filled with faith. “Lord, thank you for the blessing that we are about to receive, in Jesus Name, Amen.” Just as she finished the prayer, there was a knock on the door and it was a deacon from the Church they attended. The deacon stood there with tears in his eyes and said, “The Lord told me to bring this over to you.” It had everything that any family would want for a beautiful Thanksgiving meal. God had provided. Any ministry that does not depend on God’s provision is not a ministry that is worth being a part of. Let me go even further to say, you don’t have to be destitute to realize that whatever you have, had to come from the merciful Hand of Almighty God.
Elijah was in the best place because He was in the place where God would provide for his needs as well as for the widow that God would use. This brings us to the final point about ministry. If you have been counting, we have given two thus far. First, ministry is best conducted by those who have been in need. Second, successful ministry depends totally on God’s provision. This final main point helps us understand the value of everyone serving in the ministry. You will always have success in ministry as long as you never doubt what God has commanded.
It is interesting that the widow’s name is not mentioned, yet her service was so powerful that God used her to sustain an entire family throughout that season of drought. This points to the fact that God can take what we give to Him and work a miracle. What we have may not look like much but give that to God and watch Him work. Elijah said to the woman. “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” … As she was going to get it, he called, “and bring me, please, a piece of bread.” To this request, the widow replied, “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” … “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. She knew her resources, but what she didn’t know was what the Lord could do with what she had. Even today, there are many who are doubting what they have rather than giving that to God and asking Him to bless it. Don’t you realize that it is no secret what God can do? As a matter of fact, what ever you have had to come from God. So, why not use the little as a seed and then watch God grow the seed that you have sown. As the saying goes, “little becomes much when you place it all in the Master’s Hands.” Elijah knew that he was in the right place, but the woman had to hear that she was in a good position to be used by God.
Elijah confirmed that it was not his appetite that was driving the request for a small loaf of bread, but rather God’s direction to include this widow in His Divine Plan. Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf 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.'” It was then that the woman responded in faith. Please note that she did not engage in dialogue or a discussion about what God could do. The woman simply took a step of faith. And she went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. No doubt, the woman remembered the instructions that God had given to her prior to Elijah’s arrival. While we focus primarily on how the Lord had spoken to the prophet, the fact that God had spoken to the woman is often overlooked. God had given her a command. She knew that God would send the prophet and therefore when the opportunity to follow God’s instructions came along, she obliged and did what she was instructed to do. Obedience is the critical key to a successful ministry. It is the proof that we have not doubted God’s Word. The woman simply went away and did as Elijah had told her. This resulted in God’s miraculous provisions throughout the duration of the drought.
Accepting the Challenges to Ministry
Many have assumed that the story ended there. Just when everything was going well, many of us would rush to the conclusion that they all lived happily ever after. That is not how the story ended. Even though the woman had been faithful to her family and had taken care of God’s prophet as she was instructed, trouble came to her home. Her son got sick and died. This might be a footnote point, but it would serve us well to realize that every good ministry will have its share of trouble. As you search the pages of the Holy Scripture, you will find most, if not all of God’s servants, facing hardships, trials, and conflicts that would challenge their faith. This mother, who had ministered to both her family and the prophet, was no exception.
In devastation, the mother came to the prophet and asked, “why are you against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” Many mothers have been in similar positions where they have done their very best only to find that the challenges are more than they can bear. At that weak point is where God will remind them of His Amazing Grace and His awesome Power. The struggles and trials did not come to destroy faith but to make the faith stronger. This woman had given all she had and now she would experience the greatest reward for her faithfulness. God would raise her child back to life again. Elijah prayed and stretched himself over the child and prayed again. 1 Kings 17:22 says “The Lord heard Elijah’s cry and the boy’s life returned to him and he lived.” Elijah brought the child and gave him to his mother and said, “look your son is alive.” To this the woman replied, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the Word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.” Finally the woman was able to see that Elijah was God’s prophet and that the Word spoken by Elijah was truth. Her struggle had opened her eyes so that she could fully believe in the Lord.
In conclusion, there are several key things to remember as we seek to serve the Lord in whatever capacity that He has given us. First, make sure that we get the assignment right. Pay close attention to the instructions of the Holy Spirit. You may have something else totally different in mind and could possibly miss God’s opportunity for your life. Elijah listened and so did the widow from Zarephath. She could have questioned her ability to serve since she had no resources, but she instead realized that if God had given the assignment that God would also supply the resources. Remember also that ministry is best conducted by those who have been in need or are currently in need. Don’t ask God to wait until you get it together, simply allow Him to show you His plan.
The third key factor to remember is that successful ministry always depends on the Lord meeting the needs on a daily basis. That meal that the widow scooped from the barrel and the oil she poured from the jug was supplied on a daily basis. Much like the manna in the wilderness, that widow came with the expectation that God would provide what was needed for that day. It is one day at a time that we are to conduct the work of the Lord. That is what the Apostle Paul meant by the Scripture, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus.”
Finally, never doubt God’s promises even when you face hardships and trials as a result of serving God. You are not the first child of God to face trouble. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob faced struggles and they were simply trying to serve God to the best of their ability and yet troubles came. Elijah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel all faced their hardships as they were simply trying to tell the people to turn back to God. This widow from Zarephath was no exception. She faced a crisis in her life that would renew her faith because she trusted in the Power of God. That same God is in control today. Our duty is simply to trust and obey and allow God to work all things out for His Glory.