Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid.” // 1 Kings 17:13
The heat in the kitchen is rising. It must be coming from me because I am fuming. Where is the thyme?! All I need is thyme! There is a play on words there, but I can't find the humor. How are we out of this too? My normally well-stocked kitchen seems rampaged now that my older sons are cooking multiple meals a day. I re-alphabetize the spices. Still no thyme. I let out a frustrated growl. Keep perspective, I remind myself. I can change the plan—again. Take a breath. What is this really about? Control. My world has been turned upside down lately and I am afraid. There is too much outside my control.
I pray out loud: “In the name of Jesus, I rebuke the spirit of perfection and control and invite the Lord’s grace and peace and protection. Lord, make me docile to your spirit. Let my home be a place of laughter and love.”
Do not be afraid.
The poor widow in today’s First Reading was resigned to starvation. What a horrific place to find oneself, preparing the last meal for yourself and your son. I can’t even handle running out of an herb. Elijah tells her, “Do not be afraid,” and instructs her to make the last of the food she has and share it with him (see 1 Kings 17:10-16).
In my fear of the unknown, I grip tighter to the little things I think I can control. Then I spin wildly when little things don’t go according to plan. But the Lord wants more for us, His sweet daughters. He desires we enter into each day with sufficient trust in Him. Trust that He will provide us with our daily bread and that our jars and jugs will never run empty. This doesn’t mean we won’t experience frustrations or struggles or tough times. He simply asks us to trust and to believe in His goodness.
Do not be afraid.
Where are you holding fear? How is that fear preventing you from trusting more deeply in the Lord?
Dr. Mary Ruth Hackett is a writer, national speaker, and podcast host covering topics in psychology and faith. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and works at the important intersection of faith and developmental science, blending them in the original harmony God intended. Dr. Mary Ruth is the author of Daughter by Design: Discovering Your Identity as God's Beloved Daughter, and co-coauthor of Spiritual Discernment for Beginners: Learning to Hear God and Defeat the Lies of the Enemy. She is a contributing author to All She Had and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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