The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/2_chronicles/17.htm

I’m guilty. I’ve been guilty of doubting God, thinking that our nation, our world, is too far gone to save. I’ve been under the impression that we’ve gotten so far away from God that there is no turning back, that we have to just sit back and pray for the return of Jesus Christ. But perhaps I’m wrong.

Jehoshaphat is now the King of Judah. And scripture says he was a good king, following in the footsteps of David. He built up Judah, he did not idolize, and the best part, he sent his men, along with the Levites, to go throughout the land teaching the law of God. And it worked. Scripture says everyone, even in surrounding countries stopped warring with Judah, became in awe of God again, so much in fact that the Philistines, the Egyptians, and Arabians were brining gifts to Jehoshaphat.

Our country was formed on Christian morals. Imagine how blessed our nation would be if we turned back to God. I can remember a day when you were embarrassed and humiliated to be found a sinner. Thieves and drug users were looked down upon. Homosexuals hid their sexuality from the world. Now, those traits are celebrated. If you die during a scuffle with law enforcement, they paint murals of you on city walls. They march openly down the street flaunting their sexual identities. Mobsters and the mobster life is idolized. Today, more people root for the bad guy at movies more than they do the good.

Despite my beliefs however, I have to remember that our lives are in the hands of God, and that His Will will be done. If our nation is like this, it is either because we’ve distanced ourself from Him, or like Joseph thrown into the pit, it is God’s Will for something better to come. Perhaps that “better” is the Second Coming of Christ!

In 1 Kings 17, we are introduced to Elijah the prophet, who has a major role in the Bible, as we will see. Elijah was a Godly and righteous man.

In this chapter, God sends Elijah to a widow woman’s house, for a purpose to be exact. There is a drought in the land because of King Ahab of Israel, and when Elijah arrived at the woman’s house, he asked her for food. She replied that she only had a small amount left, and it was her plan that she and her son would eat the last of it, then die due to the following starvation. But Elijah assured her of God’s blessing, and that if she made Elijah some bread, her flour and oil jars would never go empty.

The old woman did, and it was true. Her and her family ate for “many days” according to scripture, and the flour bin and oil bottle never went dry. God can provide anything.

But then the old woman’s son became quite ill, and while the Bible doesn’t say he died, it says, “there was no breath in him.” We know that Adam came alive after God breathed the “breath of life” into him, so anytime you no longer have the “breath of life”, you are simply asleep, waiting in your grave. But all Elijah had to do was pray over the child, and God restored the child’s breath.

I believe God knew the child was ill and about to die, so He sent His servant Elijah to that house for two reasons; one to pray over the child, and the other to show the old woman how loving and merciful God is.

When Elijah first arrived, the old woman was bitter, indicating that God had taken her son because of her sins. She was probably swayed by the misconceptions, even back then, that God kills or makes bad things happen to sinners. Elijah was able to prove her wrong.

Any time we have a miracle in our lives that can only be explained as Divine Intervention, we should spread that story so others can be affirmed the God is wonderful, and help to defeat the myth of an angry tyrant.

God is good. Because of the woman’s faith, He provided her with food. Through Elijah, He also showed the woman His true character, that He loves us all and wants nothing but the best for us.