Called to Life Eternal¹

“And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God,

and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

1 Kings 17:24

As soon as the calendar indicates spring is near, I watch the outdoors for signs of life. Walking through the woods, I look for buds beginning to form on branches and tiny sprouts poking through the dirt. Days go on, and I continue to watch as buds form flowers and sprouts turn into stems. Weeks pass, and flowers with leaves fill the trees. Stems have strengthened to support tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. Growth unseen becomes the beauty we see and enjoy.

Spring was coming to the widow of Zarephath. In the same way I watch the developing spring, Elijah watched spring developing in her heart.

Elijah’s faith ignited hope in this woman, but hope was dashed as her beloved son became ill. The severity of his illness brought his death. How could this be? Anguish overwhelmed her heart as she cried out in grief to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” (1 Kings 17:18).

Her thinking distraught, the widow felt God’s attention was on her home and her sins, and now this God had taken from her what mattered most, her son. She felt condemned by Elijah’s holy God. However, in her grief and struggling trust, she could not see that this God of justice was also a God who longed to extend His love and grace to her. In her small faith, she could not see this great God.

Elijah could. He knew his God. Hearing her grief-filled accusations, he did not falter but took the child and immediately went to the One who was the foundation for his life. A simple phrase guided his life: “before whom I stand” (1 Kings 17:1). Often in proclaiming God’s message, Elijah would encounter hostility and utter this phrase. However, this phrase was more than simple. It was a proclamation that he served the living God. God’s power alone gave him the inner strength, wisdom, and power to do all that God called him to do. Speaking this expression in moments of strain and difficulty clearly showed the godly strength that came from the depths of his heart. At this moment, Elijah knew he needed to go to his strength. He went to God.

Taking the child before the Lord in his upper chamber, Elijah prayed, stretching himself three times upon the child.

And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” (1 Kings 17:22–23)

“See, your son lives.” A simple sentence Elijah used to point the woman to God. He wanted her to see what God had done, how God had brought life back to her son, and how God offered her life. Eternal life was hers if she would accept the love, grace, and forgiveness that the God of Israel was extending to her, this Gentile widow from Zarephath. Her confession of faith comes, and she trusts God as her own. The widow of Zarephath came to Elijah’s aid when, in reality, God used him to give aid to her spiritual darkness.

Sometimes in our lives, we are called to trust God when we don’t understand why. Elijah couldn’t understand why God would take the life of this child, but he was called to trust God’s plan. You see, the woman was called by God to have faith in Him. He graciously extended His gift of salvation to her, but she needed to see Him in more than just providing her daily bread. The provision of her needs by God caused her faith to sprout, but the life restored to her son by God gave her confirmation that Elijah’s God was the one true God, and she took Him as her own.

You may feel God calling you to perform a task or reach out to someone when it doesn’t make sense. You have no understanding of why God would ask you to do this or how you could make a difference to this person. Although we cannot see His plan, God knows the small act or word that will cause a person to move forward toward their faith in Him. Your obedience to God’s plan may bring a person from a small spark of faith to an overwhelming trust in the Savior.

“Before whom I stand” gives all the strength needed to answer His call.

¹ Susan N. Perelka, Trust in Every Moment: A Journey toward God, (Enumclaw, Washington:  Redemption Press, 2023), 109-112.