DCLM Daily Manna Tuesday 31 October 2023
TOPIC: God Has the Solution
KEY VERSE
“And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?”
(1 Kings 17:17,18)
TEXT: 1 Kings 17:17-24 (KJV)
17 And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.
18 And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?
19 And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.
20 And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?
21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again.
22 And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.
24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.
DCLM Daily Manna Tuesday 31 October 2023 MESSAGE
Life is not always kind. Sometimes, it dishes out events and instances that leave people in despair, pain and sorrow. Bereft of hope, people react in very predictable ways. They either turn to the wrong sources for solution, or blame other people; or they just sit back, complain endlessly, and do nothing. The widow of Zarephath found herself in such a situation. Her son fell sick and suddenly died. In sorrow, she turned to Elijah, not to plead for his intervention with God, but to accuse him of bringing misfortune to her. Elijah was unruffled.
He knew that God is a Comforter of the troubled and that there was nothing He could not do. Being not a capricious Sovereign, the Lord’s miracles through His servants are intended not only to establish His supremacy, but also to bestow His goodness to men and draw them closer in faith. Of course, God shows His hand when we are at our wit’s end or facing desponding situations. Elijah, therefore, had only one course of action: turn to God in prayer.
READ DCLM Daily Manna Monday 30 October 2023 – Show Gratitude
The Lord did not disappoint him as He raised the child from the dead. God proved that He was the omnipotent Creator who had the power to give hope to the living and restore life to the dead. He can be trusted for a solution in desperate situations. Today, we face a downturn in the global economy, the outbreak of a pandemic, widespread suspicion and fear in the society. Modern contrivances, philosophy and ideas have not delivered the peace, security and prosperity they promised. But our peace and joy lie only in God, to whom we should turn for help.
He alone can restore hope, peace and order in our societies. He can change the hearts of wayward citizens in our communities, and draw man to the path of probity, morality and good conduct. There is no hope elsewhere for man.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Jesus is the answer to all of life’s problems.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 28-30
