Curiosity and Possibility: The Widow of Zarephath

May 10, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Flour Jars and Empty Jars

The widow gathered sticks under a relentless sun, her son’s hollow eyes mirroring the empty jar. Elijah’s request for bread seemed absurd—she had only a handful of flour left. Yet she obeyed, mixing water with her last grains. The jar kept giving. Her curiosity outweighed her despair. [01:03:11]

God used her scarcity to reveal His sufficiency. The widow’s hands, cracked by drought, became conduits of miracle. Jesus later highlighted her story to show God’s grace transcends borders, expectations, and human logic.

You face empty jars too—relationships strained, dreams deferred, resources thin. What if your “last handful” is where God begins? Instead of rehearsing lack, name one area where you’ll act in trust. Where does your cynicism drown out curiosity?

“The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.”
(1 Kings 17:16, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to open your eyes to the jar He’s already filling.
Challenge: Write down one fear about scarcity. Burn it as an act of surrender.

Day 2: Sticks, Dust, and Strange Requests

Elijah found her kneeling in the dirt, her fingers clawing brittle twigs for a final fire. “Bring me water,” he said. Then, “Bring me bread.” She protested—this meal was her death warrant. Yet something in his tone disarmed her rage. She fed the prophet first.

God’s provision often comes through inconvenient obedience. The widow’s “yes” reversed the curse of drought, turning her into a lifeline for Israel’s greatest prophet. Jesus still interrupts our funeral pyres with holy interruptions.

How do you respond when God’s requests feel unreasonable? Today, choose to see a single interruption as a divine appointment. Will you dismiss the stranger’s voice, or pause to listen?

“Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me.”
(1 Kings 17:13, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one resentment over unmet expectations.
Challenge: Share a meal or resource with someone “undeserving” today.

Day 3: When Nazareth Rejected Grace

Jesus stood in His hometown synagogue, dust from Nazareth’s streets still on His sandals. He read Isaiah’s prophecy, then said, “No prophet is accepted in his hometown.” He reminded them of the widow—a foreigner God chose to feed during famine. Their fury erupted. They drove Him toward a cliff.

Grace offended them because it wasn’t theirs to control. Jesus highlighted a pagan widow to shatter tribal pride. God’s abundance flows where hearts yield, not where tradition demands.

What blessings do you reject because they arrive in unfamiliar packaging? Identify one person or group you’ve deemed “outside” God’s circle. How might their story refine you?

“There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah… yet Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath.”
(Luke 4:25–26, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for a time His grace surprised you through an unlikely person.
Challenge: Initiate a conversation with someone outside your usual circle.

Day 4: Truck Keys and Unlikely Help

The keys stuck again, the truck’s engine silent. Hours at the dealership yielded no fixes—just shrugs and invoices. Then a mechanic stayed late, digging through records. “We found the issue,” he said. Help came through a stranger’s stubborn kindness.

God often answers through persistent human compassion. Elijah’s request awakened the widow’s curiosity; the mechanic’s diligence broke the cycle of frustration. Miracles thrive where we resist fatalism.

What problem have you labeled “hopeless”? Today, approach it with curiosity instead of complaint. Who might God send to shift your perspective?

“She went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.”
(1 Kings 17:15, ESV)

Prayer: Name one frustration. Pray for curiosity to replace cynicism.
Challenge: Text someone who helped you unexpectedly. Thank them.

Day 5: Coke Cans on a Broken Beach

The Hobie Cat capsized, gear floating away. A stranger scooped up a six-pack, smirking, “Guess you don’t need this.” Rage flashed—then faded. Why did he take the Coke? The question lingered, unraveling assumptions. Years later, the story still teaches: curiosity disarms bitterness.

The widow’s generosity began with a choice to engage Elijah’s audacity. Jesus’s death began with a choice to embrace humanity’s betrayal. Love’s economy thrives when we ask, “What if this isn’t the end?”

When did you last misinterpret someone’s motives? Today, assume hidden grace in a conflict. What might you discover if you stopped scripting others’ stories?

“She said, ‘As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour…’ But Elijah said to her, ‘Do not fear.’”
(1 Kings 17:12–13, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to soften your heart toward one person who irritates you.
Challenge: Perform a secret act of kindness for someone you’ve judged.

Sermon Summary

We gather around a story that refuses simple answers and pushes us into vigilance, curiosity, and hospitality. We begin with a cultural image of second chances and a line about two lives: the life we learn with and the life we live after. We name the grief that follows dashed expectations and notice how easy it becomes to live in scarcity, always expecting the next thing to fail. We admit how cynicism narrows our vision and how familiar sayings try to protect us from disappointment but often shut down the possibility that God might surprise us.

We turn to the widow of Zarephath and see a woman already pressed to the edge. She gathers sticks for one more meal and reads a world where kings and false prophets hold power. A prophet asks for water and bread, and she makes a choice that looks reckless: she offers hospitality in the face of near-empty jars and a hungry child. That simple act of opening her home awakens a pattern where provision follows curiosity and welcome. The miracle that follows highlights not only divine provision but the human posture that invites it: an alert, generous readiness to see what might be unfolding rather than what has already failed.

We trace how this story resonates again in wider scripture as an example of God acting where people least expect it. We refuse the temptation to write off neighbors, strangers, or even parts of ourselves because of past failures. We remember instances when daily life surprised us for good, when small choices broke patterns and led to healing. We affirm that Jesus invites us to embody divine presence by nourishing one another, and that motherlike love often refuses to reduce a person to their worst moment.

We commit to move from a defensive posture of scarcity to an active posture of curiosity and hospitality. We choose to see ourselves and others as potential hosts of grace rather than pawns of circumstance. We practice staying awake to the unexpected ways God can work through ordinary choices and ordinary people, and we live toward the possibility that our openness will produce more life than our fears ever could.

Key Takeaways

1. Expectation clashes shape our vision We live most of our disappointments where our imagined life meets reality, and those clashes harden us into habits of scarcity. When we notice how expectation narrows our sight, we can intentionally question the stories that box us in and look for overlooked provision. That shift moves us from defensive survival toward imaginative trust. [53:25]
2. Curiosity opens doors to possibility Curiosity creates a posture that notices what is present instead of cataloging what is absent, and that posture often precedes surprise from God. Curiosity keeps us flexible, able to entertain new ways of being and to experiment with small acts of faith. Practicing curiosity becomes a spiritual discipline that resists cynicism. [55:08]
3. Hospitality becomes a spiritual risk Welcoming a stranger with what little we have enacts faith that God can multiply scarcity into abundance. Hospitality refuses the logic that power and provision belong only to the powerful and instead locates generosity at the margins. Risking welcome reorients community toward dependence on God rather than on our own control. [56:55]
4. Motherly love names divine worth A mother’s insistence on seeing the image of God in her child models the stance we must take toward one another. Such love rejects reductionist judgments and fights to restore dignity, expecting God to meet persistent, sacrificial care with life. When we adopt that lens, we host God’s attention in ordinary life. [73:15]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[51:57] - The Natural and second chances
[52:53] - Two lives: learning then living
[53:25] - Expectation versus reality
[55:08] - Curiosity as antidote to cynicism
[56:55] - Introducing the widow of Zarephath
[58:48] - Widow, son, and starvation
[60:40] - Hobie Cat story and empathy
[63:11] - Curiosity leading to provision
[68:28] - Divinity present in humanity
[73:15] - Motherly love: host not pawn

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Kings 17:8-16 (ESV)
The story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, where her hospitality amid scarcity leads to ongoing provision.

Luke 4:25-26 (ESV)
Jesus references this widow as an example of God’s unexpected work among those outside Israel’s religious expectations.

Observation questions

In 1 Kings 17:12, the widow says she is gathering sticks to make a final meal before she and her son die. What does her response to Elijah’s request for food reveal about her circumstances and mindset?
The sermon mentions a story about a frustrating truck key problem ([01:03:58]). How did curiosity shift the outcome of that situation?
Jesus uses the widow of Zarephath in Luke 4:25-26 to challenge his audience. What does this story highlight about where God chooses to act?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think the widow trusted Elijah’s promise of ongoing provision (1 Kings 17:13-14) when she had no reason to believe a stranger? What might have motivated her choice?
The sermon describes scarcity as a mindset that “narrows our vision” ([53:25]). How does the widow’s act of hospitality challenge a scarcity mentality?
Jesus’ reference to the widow of Zarephath angered his listeners (Luke 4:28-29). Why might people resist the idea that God works through those they consider outsiders or unworthy?

Application questions

When have you felt like you were living in “scarcity mode”—focusing on what’s lacking rather than what’s possible? What small step could help you shift toward curiosity about God’s provision this week?
The widow shared her last meal with a stranger. What’s one practical way you could practice hospitality—even in a small, ordinary moment—with someone unexpected?
The sermon mentions how “motherly love refuses to reduce a person to their worst moment” ([01:13:15]). Who in your life needs to be seen through that kind of persistent, hopeful love right now?
Think of a recent disappointment or frustration (like the truck keys story [01:03:58]). How might choosing curiosity—instead of cynicism—open you to unexpected solutions or grace?
The widow’s jars kept refilling as she shared. What’s a resource (time, energy, money, etc.) you’re tempted to hoard? How could sharing it—even a little—test God’s promise to multiply generosity?

Sermon Clips

28s

#NotAPawn

“Friends, may we go from this Mother's Day celebration to celebrate the kind of mother love that prompted the mother of Zarephath to say, I am not a pawn. I am the host. I am not powerless. I am your benefactor. And you, child of god, are welcome here. Amen.”

54s

#ChoosePossibility

“We we we have these sayings, like I said, the ones we did. Right? And all that prevent us from awakening and opening ourselves to the possibility. You know the one that I think I hate the most, that bothers me the most, is when somebody will say, well, there's always a reason. And sometimes there's just not. But it's okay because there's always a wealth of possibility no matter what happens. I see some of you nodding your heads. We've been there, haven't we? It's one of the reasons why we're here. It's one of the reasons why we hold on to hope, especially especially when you get to those places where you think, life can't go on, and yet it does.”

36s

#SurpriseYourself

“We do live in a wonderful world of of possibility, and we get surprised by more than just the stuff that goes wrong, don't we? By each other. We surprise ourselves. You ever surprised yourself? I'm not gonna ask for a show of hands. You ever surprised yourself by doing something that was, like, not your pattern, but in a really good way? And maybe people around you were like, well, where'd you go? What happened to you? Right? So we could be curious about ourselves.”

38s

#ChooseCuriosity

“Right? It's the first of the New Year. And this one guy said, hey. It's you. I had my yellow bus thing on so they knew what I looked like, maybe the cowboy hat and the boots and the whatever. I was trying not to, you know, get mad and upset because they were the only ones who could save me. And they said, something happened just like happened to you, and and we were trying to figure out what your name was and and so we could get back in touch with you. They were like doing things to help me. Can you imagine? Like at the car place. Because nobody cares about you in this world. Right? That's the kind of mantra we say, instead of being curious.”

43s

#SmallActsMatter

“She couldn't stand up to the kings. She couldn't stand up to prophets and all these big wheels that were that were weighing down on her life and killing her and her son. She was powerless. And in Waltz's the prophet, right, as she is gathering up the sticks. Right? She's gathering up these little sticks. Right? She's getting them in her arms. She's kinda looking around. You can just see the dust on the ground where it hasn't rained for over a year. She's sad. And then this guy saunters up and he goes, hey, can I have some water? And while you're at it, can I have some bread too? And she's like here's what I think she felt like.”

27s

#CuriosityFirst

“And you know, I've thought about that story. I told you that Hobie Cat story. You might have thought, man, here he goes again. Another one of those riffs. But I thought about that story just to kind of get into how it would have felt. Right? And I was speechless with this guy I told you about. But now, I'm thinking like, what was that about? That's like, wow. I need to think about that some more. Just a little curious instead of writing everyone in the state of California off.”

50s

#StepUpAndHelp

“Vicky's leg was bleeding, the dog almost drowned. Thank God for Vicky's sister. She carried the little wet dog, and here we were just like coming off of the beach, you know, broken and everything. Dan tried to steer the broken Hobie Cat away from the catastrophe, and here we were walking up our stuff, washing up on the beach. And I swear, only in California. Right? The whole beach was just littered with people. Nobody moved a muscle. No lifeguard anywhere. Finally, this guy gets up, and he walks down, and he picks up a six pack of Coke or something, and he goes, I guess you're not gonna need this. Mind if I take it? think that's how the woman felt when Elijah pulled this thing.”

25s

#ExpectationVsReality

“It's an enigmatic kind of saying. I've been I've been trying to think a lot about that, but I think so much of that learning comes from the clash between what we expect from life, from ourselves, from others, and what actually happens. And we can get the more we live, we can get pretty cynical about this, can't we? Right? Right? If something”

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Epworth UMC - Rehoboth Beach, DE This sermon · AI assistant

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