Elijah and the Widow
1 Kings 17:7-16
Our true story is found in a part of the Bible called First Kings (1 Kings). It is the first of two books in the Bible that tell us about the kings of Israel.
We begin with a man named Elijah. Elijah was very, very hungry. But there was no food or water anywhere! God told Elijah to go to a woman who God had chosen, and she would give him food.
So, Elijah went off to find the woman. Elijah searched and he searched, until he found her. Elijah went up to her and said, “Can I have a drink of water please? And a piece of bread? I’m very hungry.”
The woman said, “I’m so sorry. I don’t have any bread. I only have a little oil and a little flour. I’m picking up sticks so I can build a fire and make one more meal for me and my son. Then we won’t have any food left.”
Elijah looked at the woman and said, “Don’t be afraid. God will help you.” So, the woman went home and she used the last of her flour and oil to make bread for Elijah. She mixed the flour and oil into dough. Then she patted the dough. Then she kneaded the dough. Then she put the dough in the oven and baked it into bread.
When the bread was ready, the woman gave it to Elijah who was super-hungry. “Thank you!” Elijah said.
But what about the woman and her son? They needed bread, too. All of her flour and oil were gone. But remember, Elijah had told her that God would help her. And guess what? There was MORE oil and MORE flour! Elijah told her that God said she wouldn’t run out of flour or oil! And she didn’t! From that day on, Elijah, the woman, and her son had food. They were VERY thankful for the food God gave them. God is good.
God helped Elijah, the woman, and her son have food to eat. Why? Because God is good. And we can thank God for food!
Bible Paraphrase: Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. — Psalm 107:1, NIV
Text Truth: I can thank God for food.
Family Devotional
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.’”
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. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
—1 Kings 17:13-16
Our Bible story was about a man named Elijah and a woman. What did Elijah ask the woman to give him? Yes, Elijah asked the woman for water to drink and bread to eat. Did the woman give him water and bread? She sure did, but it was all she had left. But God made sure that the woman had plenty of food. And I’m sure she was SO thankful!
Give thanks to the LORD for he is good. —Psalm 107:1, NIV
With your family, make a list of foods you eat. There are so many yummy foods! But have each family member write down just one.
Pray with your family. Allow any family members to pray if they wish. In your own words, acknowledge to God that food is a big part of our lives because eating is something you do every day. Ask God that every time you see food, He will help you remember to thank Him for it because food is such a good gift. Thank God for foods like (read through your family's list). Thank God for His love, and acknowledge to God your love for Him.
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Story illustrations are the copyright of Sweet Publishing and licensed by FreeBibleimages (http://freebibleimages.org) for free download under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike 3.0 unported licence.
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