THE LAUGHTER OF WIDOWS

 ANCHOR OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE

WEDNESDAY, 25TH MAY, 2022

Author: PASTOR DR. SAMUEL AYORINDE

General Overseer

Topic: THE LAUGHTER OF WIDOW

No Door It Cannot Open!

MEMORIZE: “And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.” 1 Kings 17:24.

SCRIPTURE READING: 1 Kings 17:22-24.

“And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.”

EXPOSITION:

As the cry (tears) of widow burns life consuming fire against their adversary, so their laughter is powerful to open door of fortunes to their helpers. God has vowed to hear their request whenever they cry to Him. God said, “If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; And my wrath shall wax hot.”. Now imagine if you can make them happy by meeting their needs sincerely (according to your sincere ability), they will surely tell God to bless their helpers (you in particular) and God will hear them too and bless you greatly.

The widow of Zarephath cried out to prophet Elijah after her only son died, asking whether this evil came upon her for her past sins or what? She said, "What have I done against thee?"  So some understand it as "Wherein have I offended thee, or been wanting in my duty? Show me wherefore thou contendest with me." Yet she expresses herself penitently: "Hast thou come to call my sin to thy remembrance, as the cause of the affliction, and so to call it to my remembrance, as the effect of the affliction?" Note that when God removes our comforts from us, he remembers our sins against us, perhaps the iniquities of our youth, though long since past, Job 13:26. When God thus remembers our sins against us he designs thereby to make us remember them against ourselves and repent of them. Elijah earnestly begs of God to restore the child to life again, 1Ki 17:21.  We do not read before this of any that were raised to life; yet Elijah, by a divine impulse, prays for the resurrection of this child. David expected God to bring his child back to life by fasting and prayer (2 Samuel 12:23), but Elijah had a power to work miracles, which David had not. The resurrection of the child, and the great satisfaction it gave to the mother: the child revived, 1Ki 17:22. See the power of prayer and the power of him that hears prayer, who kills and makes alive. Elijah brought him to his mother, who, we may suppose, could scarcely believe her own eyes, and therefore Elijah assures her it is her own: "It is thy son that liveth; see it is thy own, and not another," 1Kings 17:23. 

The woman (widow of Zarephath) hereupon cries out, “Now I know that thou art a man of God”; though she knew it before, by the increase of her meal, yet the death of her child she took so unkindly that she began to question it; but now she was abundantly satisfied that he had both the power and goodness of a man of God, and will never doubt of it again. Let us reason how she would have blessed Elijah for restoring her joy again after her hope has lost. The help you do to the poor and needy will never go unrewarded. Give yourself to good deeds, most especially, to those who have no capacity or resources to repay you back. But we must be careful and sensitive so that the good we are trying to do will not turn to deadly trap for us. Be prayerful and always discern the leading of the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER POINT:

i. Lord, help me to become a little Jesus to the poor and helpless in Jesus name.

ii. Lord, help me to discern your leading towards those who truly need my help in Jesus name.

DAILY BIBLE READING IN A YEAR – Job 18-21.

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