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Elijah and the Drought - The Book of 1 Kings · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And it came to pass after a
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  Speaker 1: while that the brook dried up because there had been
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  Speaker 1: no rain in the land. 1 Kings 17.7 Dear God,
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  Speaker 1: when there is a drought in the world and recessions
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  Speaker 1: in our economy, I will look to you to provide
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  Speaker 1: for myself and those I love, like you did for
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  Speaker 1: the prophet Elijah by the brook. In the same miraculous manner,
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  Speaker 1: I thank you that, like the ravens you sustain, you
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  Speaker 1: will nourish me through miraculous connections and divine relationships. Place
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  Speaker 1: an internal clock within me to know when it's time
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  Speaker 1: to move on to the next season of my journey.
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  Speaker 1: As I move in obedience, give me the faith to
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  Speaker 1: move as the widow did, knowing that if God said it,
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  Speaker 1: he will be faithful to perform it. Even when my
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  Speaker 1: dreams seem like they're dying, I thank you that when
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  Speaker 1: I call upon your name, you will resurrect what seemed
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  Speaker 1: to be dead and breathe new life into the promises
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  Speaker 1: in my life. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for
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  Speaker 1: praying with us today. Continue your time with God by
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  Speaker 1: listening to today's Bible story, brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Elijah and the Drought In our last story, we were
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  Speaker 2: introduced to more kings of Judah. Abijah ruled with a
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  Speaker 2: brutal fist and sinful arrogance. His son, Atha, ruled with
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  Speaker 2: the fear of God and a righteous heart. Atha was
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  Speaker 2: able to topple idols in Judah and bring the people
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  Speaker 2: of God back to their first love. Israel, however, was
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  Speaker 2: still descending into the pit of idol worship and despair.
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  Speaker 2: Now we are introduced to a dominant force for the
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  Speaker 2: kingdom of God, Elijah. He showcases the beginning of a
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  Speaker 2: cosmic battle between the true God of heaven and earth
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  Speaker 2: and the false god, Baal. Elijah is able to witness
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  Speaker 2: the true control and discipline of the Lord as well
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  Speaker 2: as his provision over the faithful, inspired by the book
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  Speaker 2: of 1 Kings.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. In our last episode, we heard
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  Speaker 3: about King Asa, who unlike his father and grandfather, was
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  Speaker 3: a man who sought God. He sought God's favor and
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  Speaker 3: acted faithfully towards the Lord. He removed idols and banished
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  Speaker 3: the cult worship of false gods from Judah. Asa was
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  Speaker 3: a good king, and through his leadership and legacy, the
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  Speaker 3: people's hearts turned back to the Lord. To the north
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  Speaker 3: of Judah, however, the people's hearts were still very far
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  Speaker 3: from God. And as we'll learn today, God was about
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  Speaker 3: to do great things through a man named Elijah, a
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  Speaker 3: prophet who would contend on God's behalf with the rampant
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  Speaker 3: worship of Baal in Israel. Elijah is a powerful prophet
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  Speaker 3: from God, and he will stand true in a faithless generation.
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  Speaker 3: How thankful we are for the story of Elijah. Let's
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  Speaker 3: begin listening now to God's word.
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  Speaker 2: A dry wind was scratching across the ground of Israel.
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  Speaker 2: Plants became blighted and began to wither under the heat. Elijah,
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  Speaker 2: a chosen man of God, looked upon the destitute land
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  Speaker 2: with sorrow. He saw the flowers beginning to curl up
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  Speaker 2: and pass into the ground. He witnessed the livestock lose
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  Speaker 2: their luster and slow down into a pause. The Lord
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  Speaker 2: spoke closely into his ear. There will be no rain
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  Speaker 2: until I give the word.
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  Speaker 3: God whispered.
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  Speaker 2: Elijah turned away from the fields and walked towards the
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  Speaker 2: palace gates. He needed to relay the message to Ahab,
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  Speaker 2: king over Israel. Elijah opened the doors into Ahab's halls.
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  Speaker 2: The blighted wind blew violently as he opened the doors.
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  Speaker 2: Sand made its way inside. Ahab sat among some of
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  Speaker 2: his counselors. He looked up at Elijah and listened to
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  Speaker 2: the word of God. Once Elijah was finished, he left
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  Speaker 2: silently and awaited a word from the Lord. Venture forth
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  Speaker 2: towards the east, God told him. Hide underneath the tree
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  Speaker 2: covering beside the brook of Kareth. Drink from the brook
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  Speaker 2: and eat the food I bring you. I will send
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  Speaker 2: ravens to give you food. So Elijah camped beside the
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  Speaker 2: brook for a long while. He sat beside the water's
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  Speaker 2: The shade of the trees and coolness of the water
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  Speaker 2: protected him from the hot winds coursing through Israel. The
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  Speaker 2: Lord provided for him. Ravens brought him food daily, and
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  Speaker 2: Elijah sat in the presence of God, soaking in his goodness.
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  Speaker 2: The two were close, as David once was with God
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  Speaker 2: in the wilderness. Elijah watched the brook as the weeks passed.
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  Speaker 2: Since there was no dew or rainfall, the river began
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  Speaker 2: to dry up. There was no more protection for him.
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  Speaker 2: God came to Elijah again. He spoke clearly and tenderly, saying,
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  Speaker 2: Go to the village of Zarephath. I have spoken to
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  Speaker 2: a widow who lives there. She will provide for you.
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  Speaker 2: So Elijah went and arrived at the gates. Just as
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  Speaker 2: God had said, a widow was in the front gathering
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  Speaker 2: sticks for her fire. Elijah smiled and said, Would you
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  Speaker 2: be able to spare a little water? The widow grinned
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  Speaker 2: and agreed. She gathered some water. Would you be able
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  Speaker 2: to spare some food as well? Elijah asked. The widow's
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  Speaker 2: grin turned upside down. Her shoulders slumped and her lips
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  Speaker 2: were parsed together. I swear by the Lord, I have
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  Speaker 2: not one crumb of bread to give you. Her lips
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  Speaker 2: began to quiver and she put her hands over her face.
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  Speaker 2: Elijah watched as the widow began to cry. I have
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  Speaker 2: a handful of flour and a little cooking oil at
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  Speaker 2: the bottom of my jug. The sticks I was gathering
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  Speaker 2: was to make a fire. The woman raised her eyes
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  Speaker 2: to Elijah and said, This is going to be my
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  Speaker 2: son's last meal before he dies. Elijah placed his hands
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  Speaker 2: on her shoulders. He looked her in the eyes and smiled, saying,
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  Speaker 2: Fear not. Go and prepare your bread. Make some bread
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  Speaker 2: for all three of us, and we will witness the
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  Speaker 2: faithfulness of God. So the widow prepared the bread. She
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  Speaker 2: added water to the flour and began to bake the mix.
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  Speaker 2: To her surprise, the dough expanded far beyond her expectation.
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  Speaker 2: The widow watched as she had enough bread to feed
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  Speaker 2: all three of them for weeks. The three of them
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  Speaker 2: ate and rejoiced in the provision of God. Weeks had passed. Elijah,
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  Speaker 2: the widow, and her son had feasted in the glory
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  Speaker 2: of God. However, the woman's son became very sick. His
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  Speaker 2: fever became unmanageable, and his body began to fade. Finally,
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  Speaker 2: with great struggle, the boy passed. Elijah was broken, and
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  Speaker 2: the widow was unconsolable. The woman cried out to Elijah, saying,
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  Speaker 2: O man of God, what have you done to me
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  Speaker 2: and my boy? It is you who has killed my son.
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  Speaker 2: Elijah said nothing as the woman wailed before him. She
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  Speaker 2: beat her fists on his chest and fell to her knees.
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  Speaker 2: Elijah looked to the boy's body and walked towards it.
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  Speaker 2: He picked him up and carried him upstairs into the
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  Speaker 2: upper room of the house. He laid the child down.
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  Speaker 2: Tears dripped down his face and landed beside the boy's
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  Speaker 2: lifeless body. Elijah sobbed and laid over him. Muffled prayers
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  Speaker 2: could be heard from Elijah. My God, why have you
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  Speaker 2: brought tragedy to this woman? She has shown me kindness.
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  Speaker 2: Elijah stretched his body over the child, crying out to
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  Speaker 2: the Lord. Please, Elijah whispered, let him live. And as
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  Speaker 2: Elijah was speaking, he felt the boy's arm twitch. Elijah
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  Speaker 2: leaped up to his feet as he watched the boy's
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  Speaker 2: chest begin to rise and fall. God had breathed life
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  Speaker 2: into him. The widow was still on the floor downstairs.
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  Speaker 2: She heard screaming from the upper room as Elijah yelled.
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  Speaker 2: Elijah rushed down the stairs, holding the child, yelling, He lives!
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  Speaker 2: He lives! The three of them rejoiced. Elijah was able
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  Speaker 2: to witness the power and provision of God in the
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  Speaker 2: midst of a famine. It would be these events that
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  Speaker 2: strengthened his resolve to follow God. Elijah would not bend
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  Speaker 2: in his faithfulness to him. Many battles awaited Elijah, and
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  Speaker 2: God would require him to stand firm.
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  Speaker 3: As we begin the scripture today, we're introduced to a
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  Speaker 3: name that is going to be a well-known great name
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  Speaker 3: in the Word of God. A man who walked with
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  Speaker 3: the Lord, a powerful prophet. Elijah received a message from
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  Speaker 3: the Lord that he delivered to Israel's King Ahab. The
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  Speaker 3: land was about to be plunged into devastating drought. The
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  Speaker 3: rains would cease and the clouds would not release their
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  Speaker 3: nourishing waters until God gave word for the rain to return.
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  Speaker 3: And with that, Elijah departed, led by God to the
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  Speaker 3: east where he was hidden by the brook Kareth. As
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  Speaker 3: David had written in his most famous psalm, Elijah experienced
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  Speaker 3: the hand of God leading him beside still waters, providing
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  Speaker 3: for his physical needs as he drank from the brook.
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  Speaker 3: and ate food brought by ravens God had sent him,
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  Speaker 3: but also providing for his spiritual needs and preparing him
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  Speaker 3: for big spiritual battles. We must never forget that God
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  Speaker 3: will always provide for our needs in every circumstances, that
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  Speaker 3: he makes provision for us, and that he provides for
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  Speaker 3: what we need just as he did Elijah when we
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  Speaker 3: obey him. After some time, the brook Kareth dried up
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  Speaker 3: because the drought was intense. So God sent Elijah to
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  Speaker 3: the town of Zarephath, telling him there was a widow
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  Speaker 3: there whom God had told to feed the prophet. Just
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  Speaker 3: as God had said, there was indeed a widow there
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  Speaker 3: that lived with her son. Elijah asked her for water,
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  Speaker 3: and she gladly brought him the water. But when Elijah
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  Speaker 3: asked for a morsel of bread, the woman became very sad.
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  Speaker 3: For you see, the famine and drought had devastated the land,
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  Speaker 3: and this woman had no food to give, no food
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  Speaker 3: to spare. She told Elijah that the little bit of
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  Speaker 3: flour and oil that she had was only enough for
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  Speaker 3: her and her son to eat a final meal before
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  Speaker 3: they died. But Elijah would not be deterred, because God
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  Speaker 3: had provided for him at the brook. He trusted God
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  Speaker 3: to provide for him now as well. He told the
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  Speaker 3: woman not to fear or to be sad, but to
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  Speaker 3: go and do as she had planned, to make a fire.
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  Speaker 3: But Elijah said she was to make a small cake
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  Speaker 3: of flour and oil for him, then make some for
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  Speaker 3: herself and her son. Then he said to her what
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  Speaker 3: we read in 1 Kings 17, verse 14. For thus
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  Speaker 3: says the Lord, the God of Israel, the jar of
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  Speaker 3: flour shall not be spent and the jug of oil
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  Speaker 3: shall not be empty until the day that the Lord
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  Speaker 3: sends rains upon the earth. Elijah was inviting this woman
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  Speaker 3: to join him in trusting God for a miracle. The
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  Speaker 3: small amount of flour and oil was just that, pitifully small,
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  Speaker 3: not enough for even one person, let alone three. But
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  Speaker 3: God always richly supplies everything to us, especially those of
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  Speaker 3: us who are in Christ Jesus. And God was promising
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  Speaker 3: to provide that from a small amount there is an
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  Speaker 3: inexhaustible supply until rain would return to Israel. And God
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  Speaker 3: will supply all of your needs according to His riches
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  Speaker 3: and glory in Jesus Christ. We're told that in the
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  Speaker 3: New Testament. So a great miracle took place. And for weeks,
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  Speaker 3: the widow and the son and Elijah ate the food
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  Speaker 3: and it never ran out. God, as always, kept his promise.
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  Speaker 3: Then one day, the widow's son fell sick and died.
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  Speaker 3: The widow, of course, was distraught, despairing, wondering why such
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  Speaker 3: tragedy had come upon her. So Elijah... always trusting in God,
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  Speaker 3: always believing in God, trusting God for another miracle, took
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  Speaker 3: the boy to an upper room where he was staying
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  Speaker 3: and cried out to God, laying his body over the
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  Speaker 3: boy's body and asking God to bring life back into
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  Speaker 3: this child. God heard Elijah's prayer and the boy was
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  Speaker 3: filled with life again. This was a resurrection. This is,
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  Speaker 3: of course, an amazing, powerful miracle. God showed Elijah what
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  Speaker 3: we can know with confidence, that not even death, because
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  Speaker 3: of what Jesus Christ has done for us, will keep
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  Speaker 3: us in the grave, that there is life and life
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  Speaker 3: beyond and abundant life today for those who follow Christ himself.
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  Speaker 3: And so Elijah's faith was strong, and he knew that
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  Speaker 3: God would always provide for him and would never leave him.
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  Speaker 3: Elijah's faith would be tested in the years that would follow.
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  Speaker 3: But God had big plans for Elijah that we're going
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  Speaker 3: to see in our next passage. Dear God, thank you
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  Speaker 3: for the reminder today that you are a God of
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  Speaker 3: might and miracles, that you are the God of life.
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  Speaker 3: And we pray that each one of us would trust
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  Speaker 3: you for our daily provision and that we would live
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  Speaker 3: in the promise of eternal life through Jesus our Lord.
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  Speaker 1: Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham of Dallas, Texas. I would encourage
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  Speaker 3: you to download the Pray.com app and certainly to make
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  Speaker 3: Bible study and prayer a priority in your life. I
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  Speaker 3: would encourage you to go to church and be a
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  Speaker 3: part of a Bible-believing, Christ-exalting church. If you enjoyed this podcast,
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  Speaker 3: tell a friend. Let someone else know because the Word
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  Speaker 3: of God changes lives. And if you want more resources
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  Speaker 3: as to how you can know and love God and
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  Speaker 3: follow Him all the days of your life, be sure
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  Speaker 3: to visit jackgram.org. as we have many resources available to
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  Speaker 3: you as you journey with the Lord. God bless you.