September 18, 2024
The Widow's Son -- Part 3
1 Kings 17:22
09/18/2024
22 And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And
the life of the child came into him again, and he
revived. (ESV)
Each Christian confesses and believes that Jesus Christ rose
physically from the dead. Because Jesus was without sin, the
grave could not hold Him. His death on the cross paid the price
of our sin. His resurrection will become our resurrection.
Therefore we confess in the Apostles' Creed, ``I believe in the
... forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the
life everlasting.''
Our faith in the promise of a bodily resurrection is
certainly based on the empty tomb discovered on Easter Sunday.
However, God, working through both the Prophets and Apostles,
showed that all people will rise again, for He permitted the
resurrection of several people in the Old and New Testaments.
Elijah, who was staying in a chamber in the home of the
widow of Zarephath, had taken the widow's dead son. He prayed
God's blessing on the boy and the widow. ``And the LORD listened
to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him
again, and he revived.''
Does this mean that God will answer all prayers for an
immediate restoration of life in the way He answered Elijah's
prayer? No, for God never promised that miracle at our request.
However, the widow's son does point us both to Jesus'
resurrection, and to our own resurrection.
Therefore, we continue to pray for those we love, for those
in need, asking that God's almighty will be done, that He
accomplishes all things for the good of those who trust in Him.
May our Lord grant us faith to trust in Him, that His
answers to our prayers are for our ultimate blessing. Amen.