SERMON
Our Stories OF SERVICE
October 26, 2025
1 Kings 17:7-16 (NIV)
Pastor Sunil
She had little, yet gave everything
She served unseen, but heaven noticed
Time given freely. Grace returned abundantly
Raising us, Mummy depended on faith (SB)
Everything in our life is a story, and all our stories make us who we are. The people, the events, the passages of time, and how we respond to them – even if no one else sees that response – form us in some way. The woman of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17:7-16 is an example. Elijah the prophet had prophesied a famine that devastated the land and its people. It was well into the famine that God told Elijah to go to Zarephath, where a widow would look after him with food; in other words, this widow would serve him.
That is God-inspired service - "I have directed a widow to supply you with food (=serve you)" – and that is precisely what she did. And it was service marked by sacrifice, faith, and generosity. It is interesting to note that there was no indication that God had actually told the widow to "serve" Elijah. In fact, she didn't seem to know him at all. Yet the story does reveal that, at the end, Elijah did indeed receive her service, just as the Lord said!
1. Sacrifice, v.12.
- She was a widow - and a woman w/o an adult male in a man's world
- all she had was a son, no more than a boy, who depended on her
- There was the physical circumstance, the drought "caused" by God, prophesied by Elijah
- She was being asked to share her last meal
2. Faith (=> obedience), v.14
- The Promise of Provision - which would come true only after the sacrifice
- Sometimes God can only reveal/give you his Promise AFTER you've already "denied yourself"
- Intimacy / relationship can either grow or be destroyed based on mutual trust
- Faith is believing and responding to the voice of God that says, "I love you, I got you."
- Paul writes of this provision to the Philippian Christians after they had sacrificially sent financial support for him, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)
3. Generosity, v.15a
- The widow shared her last meal with a complete stranger - that's generosity
- Giving, not knowing if you have enough for yourself
- Giving when you don’t really know if you'll get anything in return
- Giving because there is a need as significant (or greater) than yours
- Giving as an act of service
The widow does precisely what Hebrews 13:2 tells: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels (=> served angels) without knowing it.” Elijah was a stranger to her, and she served sacrificially, with faith, and generously. And when she does, she discovers God’s generosity – from then on until the end of the famine, her food miraculously never runs out! Her life story changed from then on.
I wonder how many miracle stories our lives are made up of because we gave to God and His purposes, serving him, even when it seemed we couldn’t afford it! I also wonder whether we’ve missed out on some miracle stories in our lives because we haven't been like that widow of Zarephath. My mother (who was a widow for more than half her life) definitely had the faith of the widow of Zarephath, and I had a front-row seat to the miraculous results of her service. I have discovered in my own life story that similar miracles still do happen. My prayer is that your life story will be made of some, too.
She served unseen, but heaven noticed
Time given freely. Grace returned abundantly
Raising us, Mummy depended on faith (SB)
Everything in our life is a story, and all our stories make us who we are. The people, the events, the passages of time, and how we respond to them – even if no one else sees that response – form us in some way. The woman of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17:7-16 is an example. Elijah the prophet had prophesied a famine that devastated the land and its people. It was well into the famine that God told Elijah to go to Zarephath, where a widow would look after him with food; in other words, this widow would serve him.
That is God-inspired service - "I have directed a widow to supply you with food (=serve you)" – and that is precisely what she did. And it was service marked by sacrifice, faith, and generosity. It is interesting to note that there was no indication that God had actually told the widow to "serve" Elijah. In fact, she didn't seem to know him at all. Yet the story does reveal that, at the end, Elijah did indeed receive her service, just as the Lord said!
1. Sacrifice, v.12.
- She was a widow - and a woman w/o an adult male in a man's world
- all she had was a son, no more than a boy, who depended on her
- There was the physical circumstance, the drought "caused" by God, prophesied by Elijah
- She was being asked to share her last meal
2. Faith (=> obedience), v.14
- The Promise of Provision - which would come true only after the sacrifice
- Sometimes God can only reveal/give you his Promise AFTER you've already "denied yourself"
- Intimacy / relationship can either grow or be destroyed based on mutual trust
- Faith is believing and responding to the voice of God that says, "I love you, I got you."
- Paul writes of this provision to the Philippian Christians after they had sacrificially sent financial support for him, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)
3. Generosity, v.15a
- The widow shared her last meal with a complete stranger - that's generosity
- Giving, not knowing if you have enough for yourself
- Giving when you don’t really know if you'll get anything in return
- Giving because there is a need as significant (or greater) than yours
- Giving as an act of service
The widow does precisely what Hebrews 13:2 tells: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels (=> served angels) without knowing it.” Elijah was a stranger to her, and she served sacrificially, with faith, and generously. And when she does, she discovers God’s generosity – from then on until the end of the famine, her food miraculously never runs out! Her life story changed from then on.
I wonder how many miracle stories our lives are made up of because we gave to God and His purposes, serving him, even when it seemed we couldn’t afford it! I also wonder whether we’ve missed out on some miracle stories in our lives because we haven't been like that widow of Zarephath. My mother (who was a widow for more than half her life) definitely had the faith of the widow of Zarephath, and I had a front-row seat to the miraculous results of her service. I have discovered in my own life story that similar miracles still do happen. My prayer is that your life story will be made of some, too.