ICS Daily Devotions
The Refining Furnace

1 Kings 17:9-11 Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

For Elijah, life seemed like one trial after another. Not only did God ask him to go into enemy territory, Zarephath, the nation of Jezebel, he was told to “dwell there” until he received new instructions from God. What’s more, God told him a widow there would provide for him. What a blow it must have been to Elijah’s pride! Back then, widows were the poorest of the poor, and in times of drought, they would have been the first to die. God was essentially telling Elijah that He was sending him yet to another place of testing where he would have to look to Him for all he received every day.

Zarephath literally means “smelting furnace, or refining”, where metal is heated so that any impurities can be removed. It would be here that the last vestiges of Elijah’s pride and self-reliance would be stripped away.

We are self-reliant people who always want to believe that we are in control of our lives, but when God begins to work in your life to reveal Himself more clearly to you, He will send you to “Zarephath” where you will have nothing to depend on but Him. It is actually the greatest place that life can afford, because it is here that you will learn God is in control. We all face the challenge of getting to the place where we trust God alone for all our needs, but that is where He wants each of us — “The just shall live by faith.” (Rom 1:17)

When Elijah arrived at Zarephath, he saw the widow picking up sticks, and he called to her to fetch him a drink of water. What a comfort it must have been to see her oblige, and what an assurance it must have been to see that God had lined things up for him.

When your time of need arises, rest assured that your Father has already gone ahead to spread the table of provision on your behalf.

Phil 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Sermon Series: Elijah