Elijah. Man of Courage, Man of Faith, Man of God.Sýnishorn

Crying out to God in times of sorrow

There’s a sudden twist in the  story about Elijah and the widow. Her son becomes ill and dies. The widow assumes that Elijah and his God have caused this tragedy: “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” (1 Kings 17:18).

I can totally understand that this woman, who has already lost her husband, is deeply shocked by the loss of her child. And I can also understand her confusion about God’s hand in this. After all, if He is able to feed the whole family during a famine, why does He not spare the child’s life? If He is Lord over life and death, why does He kill this boy?

I don’t have the answer to this question. Neither does Elijah. But instead of defending himself against the widow’s accusation, he turns to the Lord: “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” That’s the best thing we can do if we are desperate and confused. Tell God how you are feeling. Pour out your heart before Him. Ask Him to answer you and guide you.

Have you ever experienced such emotional pain and confusion?