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Our story takes place in Israel,around 900 B.C. It was a sad anddifficult time for the nation, for shewas suffering under the reign of theworst king she'd ever had, Ahab!

Ahab was greatly influenced by hisforeign-born wife, Jezebel, and headopted the religion of Baalism asthe official state religion.

God sent His prophet, Elijah,directly to King Ahab with an

ominous message: "As the Lordlives, there shall be no dew nor rainthese years, except at my word!"

After delivering this warning, Elijahfled deep into the wilderness wherehe hid from the soldiers of Ahab.

The Lord directed him to an isolatedcanyon where there was not only asmall stream for him to drink from,but where he was miraculously fedby ravens whom God commandedto bring pieces of bread and meatto him every day.

Just as Elijah had prophesied, not adrop of rain fell and a severedrought began to grip the land.Soon Elijah's own water source, theBrook Cherith, dried up completelyalso. But on the very day that the

900

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brook ran dry, "the Word of the Lordcame to Elijah, saying, 'Arise and goto the town of Zarephath and livethere: For behold, I havecommanded a widow woman there

to take care of you!'

After days of trudging through desertwastes, over rocky hillsides andsteep mountain trails, he finallyarrived at Zarephath, a coastal city inmodern-day Lebanon. Weary, hot

and caked in dust, as he approachedthe city gate he spotted a womangathering sticks. "Water!" he criedout to her, "please bring me somewater in a jar that I may drink!

Taking pity on the weary stranger,

the woman rose to bring him somewater when he called out to heragain, And please, could you bringme something to eat also!

Turning to him, she said, I dont

even have a piece of bread, but onlya handful of our in a jar and a fewdrops of oil in a jug. Im out heregathering a few twigs to cook with,to take home and make a final mealfor myself and my son, that we mayeat, and then die .

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Elijah must have then realizedthat this poor woman was thewidow that the Lord hadpromised would feed and carefor him! He then told her,Fear not, but go and do as yousaid. But make me a small cakeof bread first, and then makesomething for yourself and yourson! For thus says the Lord Godof Israel, Your jar of our will notbe used up, nor shall your jug of

oil run dry, until the day that theLord sends rain upon this land!

How absolutely amazed this poor,poverty-stricken widow must havebeen at this extraordinaryproclamation! She must have

thought to herself, "I told himhow poor I am, how I'm gatheringtwigs to cook a final tiny meal formy son and myself, and thatafterwards we expect to starve todeath.-Yet he is asking me to makea piece of bread for him first!

But because Elijah spoke to herwith such authority in the nameof the Lord, she knew that hemust be a man of God, a prophet,and she believed the Word of theLord that he spoke. She therefore

decided to trust God and do asElijah instructed her.

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The widow hurried home andscraped together the last tinyhandful of our from the bottom ofthe large clay jar that it was kept in.She took her oil jug, tipped it, anddrained out the last few drops ofprecious oil.

It was probably after she had mixedthe our and oil together into apaste and baked the little piece of

bread for Elijah, that she receivedthe surprise of her life: Picture thislowly widow, tidying things up whilethe bread-cake for Elijah wascooking. She goes to put the emptyoil jug in its proper place, andsuddenly she notices its much

heavier than it was a moment ago.Barely tipping it, she can hardlybelieve her eyes when fresh oilflows out of it! It is full!

Setting it down, she rushes over tothe large earthen pot where the

our is kept, and gasps aloud inastonishment when she lifts itslid! Instead of the empty, dusty jarshe knows it was just a few minutesearlier, it is now filled to the brimwith fresh our !A miracle hastaken place!

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Her heart overflows withthankfulness to the Lord for sucha wonderful manifestation of Hisblessing! And, just as Elijah hadprophesied, in the midst of three

long years of famine, Her jar ofour was not used up, and her jugof oil did not run dry throughoutthe entire duration of the famine!

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