Jesus was a storyteller who spoke in parables to get His message across. Many of these parables were simple, but had truths that were hidden. When the disciples (followers of Christ, not just the twelve) wanted to get a deeper understanding, Jesus would explain the meaning of the parables.  What is interesting, is today as you and I read the Word of God, we may come across a parable that we don’t quite understand based on what we read.

In Luke, Jesus tells the story of a certain rich man who had a steward (business manager), who was in charge of the resources of his boss including all of his business affairs of selling and collecting payments for his boss. This steward was not doing his job. He was accused of wasting his boss’s resources. His boss calls him in for an accounting and so he can fire him.

The steward knows he’s going to get fired, and he says to himself, “What shall I do? My boss is going to fire me, I cannot dig and do manual work, and I am too embarrassed to beg.” He comes up with a plan to secure his future. He goes to all of his boss’s debtors and asks each one how much they owe. One said, “a hundred measures of wheat.” He tells him to take the bill and write eighty. Another says, “a hundred measures of oil.” He tells him to write fifty on the bill.

The plan was to discount all of the debtors’ bills so when he loses his job, the debtors will feel obligated to help him out. He did them a favor and saved them a lot of money, and now it would be their turn to do him a favor and provide for his livelihood.

Now, you would think that the boss would be very upset that the steward had discounted the bills. On the contrary, he actually  praised the dishonest (unjust) manager for acting shrewdly and prudently or wisely. Jesus goes on to say that the sons of this age are more wise or shrewd than the sons of light or those that serve God and do what is right. The unjust manager was thinking ahead and made a plan to secure his future.

Jesus was saying that this steward knew he was going to be fired for wasting his boss’s resources, but made friends with those that could help him in the future. He was smart. As followers of Jesus, we have resources as well. God has given us our lives, bodies, minds, gifts, talents, time, and the ability to work and earn money. We are stewards or managers of what God has given us. We have probably wasted some of those resources on our own selfish desires and needs without thinking of the future.

God wants us to be wise and use our talents, time, and treasure while we are on the earth, but also think about God’s kingdom and what we are doing to expand it. Use what God has given you and think about the future. Use wisdom to turn your negative situation around, and also  use your resources to help spread the gospel so that more people will be saved and they will be your friends forever.

Read the rest at: https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/take-lessons-from-the-shrewd

The Choice is Yours Luke 23:39-43

As we reflect on the great sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, most of us know the conversation that occurred between the two thieves that were on either side of Jesus.

Both men were convicted criminals who were punished for their crimes. 

One of the thieves says to Jesus, “If you are Christ (the anointed Messiah) then save yourself and us.”  The other thief rebukes him and says “Don’t you fear God? We deserve to die for what we have done, but this Man has done nothing wrong!” That thief addresses Jesus and says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into Your kingdom.” Jesus replies, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

The one thief asked Jesus to remember him. By Jesus’ statement, the thief was saved from that point on and went to Paradise/heaven when he physically died. That thief  had enough faith to ask Jesus to remember him as he was dying and in his last moments before death. The other thief had the same opportunity after mocking Jesus and being rebuked by the saved thief, but chose not to reconsider and ask Jesus to remember him as well. 

Two men, with the same opportunity, make different choices. You may think that if you live a good life, unlike these thieves, you will go to heaven when you physically die. The Bible says that “all  have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” or have fallen short of God’s standard. The only one who was sinless and met the standard was Jesus. We can never meet God’s standard even if we think we are good people. The Word of God says,  “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4:17) The Bible also says that hating your brother/sister is like murder (I John 3:15) and “whatever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). What about things that are in your heart but you don’t act on them? Jesus Christ said, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery;' but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart." (Matthew 5:27)

The point is, whether you think you have lived a good life or deserve punishment like the thieves, you have a choice to make to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior or to reject Him. If you were born into this world you are automatically a sinner no matter how good or bad your behavior is. When you receive Jesus, you are reborn in your spirit-being and God sees you through the blood of Jesus which has cleansed you of all sin. In God’s eyes you have met the standard because of Jesus. Does this mean you will never sin again? No, your spirit is reborn in Christ and God sees you righteous (in right standing with God) but you still have a body with fleshly desires, a soul with a mind, will, and emotions that need renewing by the Word of God each day. (Romans 12:2) 

Once you have received Jesus, as long as you are not on your deathbed, you have a great earthly journey ahead of you. You are a baby Christian who has an exciting life ahead to grow each day and become stronger in your faith. God has a promise “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29: 11) 

If you haven’t made that decision yet, don’t wait until you are physically dying, today is the day of salvation. (Hebrews 3:13; John 3:16)

Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/the-choice-is-yours

Raising Jesus from the Dead - Matthew 28

 Christians throughout the world just celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For many, the salvation message of God’s love reached them, and decisions to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior were made. The Bible tells us that the angels in heaven rejoice when one person makes that life-changing decision. (Luke 15:10)

 The resurrection of Jesus was proof that He was the Son of God, He spoke the truth and He came to die for our sins because of God’s love for us. The Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15 that if Jesus did not resurrect from the dead then the preaching of the gospel was in vain and that our faith was also in vain.  But what evidence can we use today to prove that what we read about Jesus was an actual account of fact?

 There are over 300 Old Testament prophecies that relate to the Messiah and Jesus fulfilled all of them. Since Jesus had spoken of His death and resurrection before the crucifixion the religious leaders wanted to make sure that His dead body would not be stolen by the disciples. They went to Pilate and said that the body must be secured because Jesus had spoken of being raised from the dead on the third day. (Matthew 27:62-66) Pilate sent guards and had the tomb sealed.

 While the guards were doing their duty to watch over the tomb, there was an earthquake and the angel of the Lord came and rolled the boulder from the tomb’s entrance and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and he was dressed in all white. The guards were so frightened that they trembled and fell over like dead men.

They reported what had happened to the religious leaders who paid them off with a lot of money and told them to say that they fell asleep at night and the disciples came and stole the body. (Matthew 28)

 After Jesus arose from the dead He appeared to Mary Magdalene and other women who had gone to the tomb with spices after the Sabbath. They wanted to anoint the body, but there was no body, the tomb was empty. The women told the disciples that Jesus was alive, but they did not believe them until He appeared to them.  Jesus appeared to many including over 500 people at one time.

 When Jesus was arrested all the disciples scattered and even Peter denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed in the morning. The only disciple who was at the cross when Jesus was crucified was John who was comforting Mary the mother of Jesus. After the disciples saw the resurrected Jesus, their faith came back and they all became bold preachers of the gospel. They witnessed Jesus ascent into heaven, they waited for the gift of the Holy Spirit, and preached with signs and wonders. They were all willing to die for their faith and all but John were killed as martyrs for the gospel. A great transformation happened between the time of the crucifixion and the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell on them. (Acts 1 and 2)

 Lastly, the Apostle Paul, who was responsible for the death of many early church Christians, had an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus and wrote most of the New Testament under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He preached the gospel of grace through faith in Jesus. These eyewitness accounts were corroborated by historical records not only from the writers of the Bible but other historians as well. As the resurrected Jesus said to doubting Thomas, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Because of the resurrection, we can believe that all the promises in God’s Word are for us and we are truly loved and highly favored. (John 3:16)

Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/raising-jesus-from-the-dead 

This week has been named Holy week because Christians and Jews around the world celebrate Passover and Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Passover is celebrated to remember the night the death angel was released to kill all the firstborns in Egypt. The Hebrew people, who were slaves in Egypt, were instructed to kill a sacrificial lamb, paint its blood on the door frame of their homes, roast, and eat the lamb that night with their families and friends. They all had to stay in the home. That night the death angel would pass over all the homes that had the blood of the lamb on the door frame and all inside would be saved. The Egyptians, including the Pharaoh (king of Egypt), were struck by the death angel. Each firstborn of every home including Pharaoh's oldest son died that night. It was the final blow that caused Pharaoh to finally let the Hebrew people leave Egypt and their captivity. From that time on the Hebrew/Jewish people would celebrate the Passover every year and remember how they came out of slavery by the hand of God.

When Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples they didn’t know what was about to happen and they didn’t know what He was telling them. While they were eating, Jesus told them that one of them would betray Him. He also  took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”  

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:26-28) This meal is referred to as the last supper and today we call it Holy Communion or communion. As Christians, we are to remember that Jesus, who knew no sin,  died a horrible death on the cross to save you and me from our sins. His blood was poured out of His body when He was whipped by the Roman soldiers for our healing. His blood also represented the payment for our sins and represented the New Covenant or Testament. The new covenant meant that animal sacrifices were no longer required because Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice, once and for all.  

But why death on the wooden cross? It was the cruelest slow form of death, a public humiliation, and one that only the Romans performed. The Jews had used stoning as their public means of capital punishment. In the Old Testament, it states that cursed is anyone who hangs from a tree. In the New Testament, it says that Jesus became a curse for us, so any curses that may have crossed our paths, have no legal rights to remain if we have received Jesus as our personal savior.

If you feel that your life is cursed even though you may be a Christian, the good news is that Jesus took all the curses on Himself when He went to the cross.  Many times, our own words or those we have received from others have become curses. In the book of Leviticus, there are blessings and cursings listed under the law. The New Covenant or Testament brings us grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Through Him, we have the blessings and all the curses were put on Jesus. Find the promise or scripture that addresses your situation and become free from all curses in your life. Jesus died but rose from the dead on the third day so that you can have an abundant life. (John 10:10; John 3:16; Galatians 3:13)

Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/why-the-cross 

The Old Testament gives us a historical account of God’s chosen people, the Jews, starting from creation with the first Adam and ending before the birth of Jesus Christ, the second Adam. God’s grace and mercy is illustrated throughout the Old Testament in the many recorded stories.

Last week we highlighted the story of David and King Saul. There were many accounts of King Saul going after David to kill him. Although there were two recorded stories where David could have killed King Saul, he never took advantage of those opportunities and allowed God to work in His timing.

David became king after King Saul and his sons were killed in battle against their enemy, the Philistines.  David’s best friend was Jonathan, Saul’s son, who was also killed that day. When news of Saul and Jonathan’s death was known, Jonathan’s son named Mephibosheth, who was five years old at the time, was taken by his nurse to a safe location. Unfortunately, as the nurse was running with Mephibosheth, the boy fell and became lame in his legs. They stayed in hiding because they feared that David would kill Mephibosheth if he found out that he was alive. Traditionally a new king would kill the family of the old king so no one would try to get the throne back. King David did not follow these traditions, but some who served King David took it upon themselves to seek out family members and kill them. When David found out he had those men executed.

As the new king, David inherited all of King Saul’s possessions and lands because there was no one left alive from the house of Saul that David knew. Years later, David asked his staff if there was anyone alive from the house of Saul that he could show kindness to for Jonathan’s sake. There was a servant named Ziba from the house of Saul that spoke up and told David about Mephibosheth.  David had him brought to the palace.

When Mephibosheth was in David’s presence, David told him not to be afraid and told him that he would restore all of his grandfather Saul’s possessions and land. Mephibosheth, who was still lame in his legs, fell forward bowing on the ground and said “ What is your servant , that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?” David instructed  Ziba to take his sons and servants and farm the land for Mephibosheth and take care of everything for him.

David’s other request was that Mephibosheth dine at his table every night like a king's son. So from that time on, Mephibosheth went from poverty and hiding, to a rich inheritance of land, possessions, servants, and a place of honor at the kings table. Mephibosheth didn’t earn these blessings and he had nothing to offer. Even when he heard David speak he considered himself like a dead dog. He was given back these blessings because David had a close relationship with his father and had promised him at one time that he would take care of his family if anything should happen to him.

This story is important because it is recorded in the second book of Samuel for our sakes. David was a man after God’s own heart. He loved God and did his best to do the right thing. Because of his relationship with Jonathan, he had respect for King Saul, did not avenge himself even though Saul was trying to kill him. King David showed grace and mercy to Mephibosheth who could not do anything for him, did not earn it, and had no power or riches. Grace and mercy was extended because of Jonathan, his father. How much more should we embrace God’s grace and mercy towards us because of our relationship with Jesus? We cannot earn God’s goodness because it is a free gift if we receive it.  Understanding how much God loves us will help us trust Him and receive his goodness and grace. (John 3:16)

Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/

Can you trust God’s timing? (I Samuel 19; 21; 24)

Before a monarchy was established in Israel, the prophets and judges were the leaders of the Jewish people. The people did not want to continue with prophets and judges as their leaders but wanted to have a king. They approached the prophet Samuel who went to God and God chose Saul, a tall, handsome, and courageous warrior to be the first King of Israel.  

As the new king, Saul was to keep the commandments of God and lead his people so they could live in peace and in God’s blessings. They had the Mosaic law (10 commandments under the leadership of Moses) as well as many other traditions and regulations that were to be followed. God used the prophet, Samuel, to advise King Saul in many matters,  especially in those regarding war with their enemies, the Philistines.

However, Saul allowed his emotions of anger and pride to get in the way, and he made some bad decisions and disobeyed God’s messages that came through the prophet Samuel. During Saul’s reign, David, the shepherd boy, became a hero when he slayed the Philistine giant named Goliath. David went on to become a great warrior and Saul started looking at David as a threat to his throne. As battles against the Philistines were won, the people started singing songs of celebration about Saul and David.  One day King Saul became very angry when he heard the people sing, “Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands!” Saul was so jealous and angry that he became more obsessed about killing David. Instead of focusing on the real enemy, the Philistines, King Saul was blinded by his jealousy and hatred towards David and diverted more of his attention to go after him.

Although the prophet Samuel had anointed David to be the next king of Israel, David continued to be on the run to escape being killed. There was one occasion when David and his men were hiding in a cave and King Saul came into the cave alone to urinate. David could have killed the King, but he did not and instead cut off a piece of his robe. David later showed King Saul that he could have killed him but did not. Although David’s men thought that God provided this opportunity to kill Saul, David responded that Saul was God’s anointed and in God’s timing, God would replace him, but not by his own hands.

King Saul and his sons would later die in battle against the Philistines. David mourned the death of Saul and his best friend, Jonathan, Saul’s son.  David takes the throne as Israel's second king and from his lineage comes Jesus Christ.

We have two leaders, Saul and David, both chosen by God. One allowed his emotions to rule his actions and the other trusted God and His timing. David respected God’s anointed King Saul but knew that his time would come in God’s timing. The lesson is to trust God in everything and not allow the negative emotions of jealousy and pride to get in the way. We all struggle with those emotions depending on our circumstances, but we have the Holy Spirit to help us in our struggles. When you are tempted in those negative areas, reach out to the Lord and He will be there to strengthen and help you. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Read the full newsletter at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/can-you-trust-gods-timing 

Abraham in the Old Testament is known as the “Father of faith,” because through his lineage came the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian faiths. The Jews came through his son, Isaac whose mother was Sarah and the Arabs came through Ismael, whose mother was Hagar. Jesus Christ came through the lineage of Isaac, and thus Christians through faith were promised the blessings of Abraham.

 Abraham had a nephew called Lot who was a righteous man who made poor decisions. Lot moved his family to a prosperous but wicked city called Sodom. Sodom and its close-by neighbor, Gomorrah, were filled with people who were sexually immoral, very proud and arrogant, and did not care for the poor and needy. God told Abraham that he was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their wickedness and sin. Knowing that Lot lived in that area, Abraham asked God to spare the cities if there were 50 righteous people. God agreed. Then, Abraham asked for that number to be 45, then 40, then 30, then 20, and finally he said one more time, 10. God agreed and then left Abraham.

 God sent two angels who appeared as human men to the city of Sodom. Lot saw them as they entered the city and came to them. When he found out that the men were going to spend the night in the city square, he asked them to come and stay at his house because it was very dangerous at night. The angels agreed. That night old and young men came to Lot’s house and banged on the door and called out to Lot. They asked Lot to send the two strangers out so they could gang rape them. Lot went outside and pleaded with them to leave them alone. Lot even offered his daughters to them, but they wanted the men. Finally the angels pulled Lot back inside, closed the door, and struck the men with blindness. They instructed Lot to get his family ready to leave in the morning because God’s judgment was coming to destroy the city.  

 Lot went to his married daughters and sons in law and asked them to leave with him. The sons in law laughed at him as if he were joking. When morning came the angels had to take Lot, his wife, and two daughters by the hand and lead them out of the city  because they were lingering too long. They instructed them not to look back at all. They headed out of the city and when they were safe, fire and brimstone began to fall on the cities. Lot’s wife was disobedient and looked back. She was instantly turned into a pillar of salt.The cities were utterly destroyed and everything in it. Only Lot and his two daughters were spared.

 From a distance, Abraham could see the smoke coming from Sodom and Gomorrah. Although God did not find 10 righteous people in order to spare the cities, He had grace and mercy and saved Lot, his wife, and two daughters. The destruction of the cities because of great wickedness and sin reminds us of the days of Noah when he and his family were saved.

 Abraham could bargain with God because he had a covenant relationship with Him. Abraham knew God was willing to show His mercy and grace, however, he stopped short at 10. When we have a relationship with Jesus, we become righteous (in good standing with God, holy), not because we are morally good in ourselves, but because Jesus is perfect, sinless, and He took our punishment on the cross. When we receive Jesus through faith, we become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21; Phil 3:9; Romans 4:3)

 The good news today is that we don't have to bargain with God. In Hebrews 4:16 it says  “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” The Bible is full of promises for our good and as a child of God we have access to all of them. (John 3:16; I Cor. 15:57)

Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/abraham-bargains-with-god?s=w 

The Apostle Paul and the Unknown god (Acts 17)

The Apostle Paul was a very educated scholar in the scriptures and was one of the religious leaders called a pharisee. He was also the son of a pharisee. Paul, a Jew, was also a Roman citizen which gave him additional rights under Roman law, especially when the Jews were trying to imprison him.

God called Paul to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the risen savior, to both Jews and Gentiles. In many of his travels to various cities outside of Israel, he would find Jewish synagogues and go and preach and argue the scriptures with those who would listen. Many believed and became Christians but others were angry and tried to imprison him. Paul would flee to another city to avoid imprisonment. On one such occasion, Paul left the northern area of Greece and headed for Athens. The other brothers in Christ would join him later.  

Paul was distressed when he saw that the city of Athens was full of idols. He went into the Jewish synagogues and the public marketplace to debate and continue to proclaim the gospel of Jesus and His resurrection. There was a group of philosophers called epicureans and stoics who began debating with him. The Greeks were very interested in philosophy and new ideas and were curious about what Paul had to say. They took Paul to a forum called Areopagus where he could address the thought leaders of the city.

Paul got up and said,  “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.” He continued, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” Paul continued to preach the gospel of Jesus and His resurrection. Some scoffed and others  became believers.

Like the days of Paul, when the gospel is proclaimed, there will be scoffers who reject the good news, and then there will be those who believe and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. When we don’t know the true God, we make our own idols hoping that they will bless and help us. An idol can be money, status, our looks, other people, and material things. Why seek worldly idols when we have the great creator who loves and cares for each of us? 

Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com 

The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1:9)

Have you ever wondered why there are so many different languages around the world? Without an interpreter or technology could an English-speaking person communicate effectively with a Chinese-speaking person? In the book of Genesis, we have an account of what happened.

After the massive flood that killed everyone except Noah and his family, God blessed Noah and his sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth and their three wives) and said, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” Noah lived 950 years and his descendants lived many hundreds of years as well. As new generations were born their life spans would be shortened.

A few generations after the flood, there was still one language among all the people. As they traveled east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and decided to settle there. They decided to build a city and a tower whose top would be in the heavens. They were not building it for the glory of God, but instead, to make a name for themselves and not be displaced around the earth. The Lord saw what was going on and said, “Behold, the people are one, and they all have one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”  The Lord scattered them abroad based on their separate languages and the building project ceased. The name of that place became known as “Babel” or as we know, the Tower of Babel, which means “confusion.”

There are two interesting points about this story. First, what was the motive behind the building of the tower? The people wanted to erect this structure for themselves. One of the sins that God abhors is the sin of pride. It was the motivation behind Satan's fall as the chief archangel of the Lord. Satan wanted to be like God and be worshiped. Proverbs 8:13 states, “Pride and arrogance…, I hate."

The other interesting point is what God said to Noah and his sons. He told them to multiply and fill the earth. Instead, the descendants of Noah decide to stay together and build the city and tower. God said, “Behold, the people are one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.”  Their knowledge of building may have been far more advanced than we know. They had the ability to do whatever they could imagine as a united group, even though they were not obeying God’s instructions.

The takeaway is to follow God’s instructions and be humble. Give God the glory in all you do. Whatever we can imagine, we can accomplish it if it is God’s will. And we know God’s will through the Word of God by believing and receiving the promises that are written. Find your promise for your dream, but remain humble in your journey. God loves you so much and He has a great plan for your life. (John 3:16; Jer. 29:11-12)

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Tragedy Strikes the Widow of Zarephath (I Kings 17:17-24)

Last week we told the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. In the story, the widow experienced a miracle of provision that provided an endless supply of flour and oil during a period of drought and no rain. Her miracle came through her faith and obedience to the prophet Elijah’s word.

During this time of drought, the widow, her son, and Elijah had plenty of bread to keep them alive until rain would come upon the land. But, something tragic happened. The widow’s son became ill and died. The widow, a non-Jew, assumed that it was a punishment for her sins and blamed Elijah and His God. She says to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God?  Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?”

How many times has God been good to us and then something goes wrong and we instantly become guilty and think He’s reminding us of our sins? Life happens, both good and bad. However, knowing that we have a loving God who loves us so much, we have to remind ourselves that He will work things out for our good. We may not understand it at the time. We just need to pray, find the scriptures that address the issue and believe that He will take care of us.

God took care of Elijah by providing him safety in a land outside of Israel, a place to stay at the widow’s house, and a never-ending food supply for the household.  Even though Elijah was a man of God, he experienced the tragedy as well. He told the widow to give him her son and he took him to the upper room where he lodged. He laid the boy on his bed and cried out to God and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?” Elijah, like the mother, was just as human in his response. He was asking God if He brought this tragedy. Then Elijah did something strange. He stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to God and said, “O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.” God heard him and answered his prayer. The soul of the child came back to him and he was alive once again.

Elijah brings the boy down from his room and gives him to his mother and says, “See, your son lives!” Then the mother responds, “Now I know you are a man of God and the Word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth.” We go through trials and challenges in life, and this story reminds us of God’s faithfulness. His Word, which we have in the Bible, is the truth. When you are faced with a personal challenge or tragedy, remember that God loves you and His promises in the Word are for you. As we face our challenges, go through the emotional ups and downs, we can hold onto the promise in Romans 8:28 which says,  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ( John 17:17; Romans 8:28; John 3:16)

Read the rest at https://litwithprayer.substack.com/p/elijah-and-the-widow-of-zarephath?utm_source=url