The Widow of Zarephath: A Bedtime Story

Part 1

It was a rainy afternoon, and Lily, Ben, and Sam were cozy inside their grandparents’ house. They had been on a few adventures already, and today they decided to return to the attic to see if the old book had any more stories to share.

"Let’s see what happens this time," Ben said as they climbed the stairs.

When they reached the attic, they found the old book waiting for them on the wooden table. It seemed to glow a little bit, even before they opened it. Ben carefully lifted the cover, and as always, the golden light started to fill the room.

"Ready for another adventure?" Lily asked with a smile.

Sam nodded eagerly. "I wonder where we’ll go today!"

The light wrapped around them, and the attic began to spin. When the spinning stopped, they found themselves in a very different place. It was a small village with simple houses made of stone and clay. The sun was hot, and everything seemed dry and dusty, as if there hadn’t been any rain for a long time.

"Where are we?" Sam asked, looking around.

Lily spotted a woman nearby, gathering sticks. She looked tired and sad. "I think we’re in Zarephath," Lily said softly. "That woman must be the widow."

The children knew they were about to witness another Bible story, and they watched closely as the woman continued her work. She was thin, and her clothes were worn, but she moved with determination, even though her face was full of worry.

As they watched, a man approached the woman. He was a prophet named Elijah, and he had been sent by God to Zarephath during a time of great famine. The land had been dry for so long that there was almost no food left, and people were struggling to survive.

Elijah called out to the woman, "Please bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink."

The woman looked up, surprised. She didn’t have much, but she nodded and went to get some water. As she was going, Elijah added, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread."

The woman stopped and turned back to Elijah, her eyes filled with sadness. "As surely as the LORD your God lives," she said, "I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I’m gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die."

Lily, Ben, and Sam felt their hearts ache for the woman. She was so poor that she didn’t even have enough food for herself and her son. But Elijah looked at her with kindness and said, "Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first, make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.’"

The children watched in silence, wondering what the widow would do. Would she trust the prophet’s words and share the little she had? Or would she keep it for herself and her son?

The woman hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded. She went back to her small home, with Elijah following close behind. The children decided to follow too, eager to see what would happen next.

Part 2

Inside the widow’s simple home, everything was quiet. The children watched as the woman carefully took out the small jar of flour and the little jug of oil. There was so little left, but she remembered the prophet’s words and began to mix the flour and oil together.

Lily, Ben, and Sam held their breath as they watched. The widow made a small loaf of bread and brought it to Elijah, just as he had asked. Elijah smiled and took the bread, blessing the woman for her faith.

Then, the widow turned back to her jars, expecting them to be empty. But when she looked inside, her eyes widened in amazement. The jar of flour still had flour in it, and the jug of oil still had oil!

"She has more!" Sam whispered excitedly.

Lily smiled, understanding what had happened. "It’s a miracle! God kept His promise."

The widow made more bread, enough for herself and her son, and still, the jars were not empty. Every day, she went back to the jars, and every day, there was enough flour and oil to make bread. The famine continued, but the widow and her son never went hungry again because of God’s miraculous provision.

The children watched as the widow’s face, once filled with worry, now glowed with joy and gratitude. She knew that God had provided for her and her son, just as Elijah had said.

Ben looked thoughtful as he watched the scene. "It’s amazing how she trusted God, even when she had so little."

"Yeah," Sam added, "and because she believed, God took care of her."

The golden light began to return, wrapping around the children once more. As it lifted them off the ground, they felt the familiar spinning sensation. When the light faded, they were back in their grandparents’ attic, the old book still open in front of them.

"I liked that story," Lily said with a smile. "It shows that God can do big things, even with something small."

Ben nodded. "And that we should trust God, even when it seems impossible."

Sam grinned. "Just like the widow trusted Elijah, we can trust God to take care of us."

The children left the attic, feeling inspired by the widow’s faith and God’s incredible provision. They knew that no matter how little they had, they could always trust God to provide for their needs.

And that night, as they drifted off to sleep, they dreamed of jars that never ran empty, bread that never ran out, and a God who is always faithful to those who trust Him.

The End