Stop and take a few steps back

Sometimes, the hardest thing in a time of trial is not only what is happening to us, but how quickly we forget what God has already done. Think about a situation when you were worried about something and you prayed. You did not know how it would turn out, but eventually the situation changed. God provided. Perhaps not in the way you expected, but somehow the door opened, the need was met, and looking back, you were able to say, “God was there.” And then, some time later, another problem comes, and suddenly that previous experience seems very far away. The new problem becomes so great that we forget the God who had been faithful only a short time before.

That is exactly what we see in the widow in our passage from 1 Kings. Last time, we heard the story of this woman who was preparing what she thought would be her last meal. She had only a handful of flour and a little oil, and she said to Elijah, “I am gathering two sticks; then I will go and prepare it for myself and my son; we will eat it, and then we will die.” She had reached the limit of what she could do for herself. But God had other plans. Through Elijah, God promised that the flour would not run out and that the oil would not fail until the day He sent rain upon the earth. And that is exactly what happened. Day after day, God provided. The widow and her son continued to eat. God had answered a need that seemed impossible to meet.

You might think that after experiencing something like that, this woman would never again doubt the goodness of God. But then her son becomes sick. His condition gets worse and worse until he stops breathing. And suddenly, the woman who had just experienced God’s provision is overwhelmed by what has happened. She says to Elijah, “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!”

Isn’t that something very human? God answers one of our prayers, and then another difficulty comes, and we begin to wonder whether He has forgotten us. We can remember God’s faithfulness when we look at the past, but when today’s problem is right in front of us, it can be very difficult to see anything else.

Perhaps this has happened to you as well. You prayed for a job and, eventually, God provided. You prayed for a family situation and God sustained you through a difficult season. You prayed about a financial need and, somehow, what was necessary arrived just when you needed it. You prayed for healing, for guidance, for a door to open, and eventually you saw God’s hand at work. And then something else happens. A new problem comes, and suddenly you find yourself asking, “God, where are You now?”

The story of the widow encourages us, when this happens, to take a few steps back. Before allowing our present difficulty to tell us what God is doing, stop and remember. What has God already done? Where have I seen His faithfulness? Which prayers has He answered? In what ways has He provided for me, even when I thought there was no solution? The problem in front of us may be real, serious, and painful, but it is not the whole story.

And there is another question we can ask ourselves: “Why is God doing this?” Not because we will always find an answer. Scripture does not promise us that. The widow did not understand why her son had died. Elijah did not have an explanation to give her. But asking this question can remind us that we do not see the whole picture. God does. We see one moment; He sees the beginning and the end. We see the problem; He sees what we cannot yet see.

This does not mean that every tragedy will be explained to us in this life. Sometimes we may never understand why a particular thing happened. And we need to be careful about giving easy answers to people who are suffering. We should not tell someone who is grieving that we know exactly why God allowed that suffering. Sometimes the most faithful thing we can say is simply, “I do not know why this happened, but I know who God is.”

Elijah did not give the widow a theological explanation. He took her son, carried him to the upper room, laid him on his own bed, and cried out to the Lord. He brought that impossible situation before God. And God heard him. The child’s life returned to him, and Elijah brought him back to his mother. Then the woman said, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

Then we come to the Gospel according to Luke and see something even greater. Jesus enters the city of Nain, and as He approaches the city gate, He meets a funeral procession. A young man has died, the only son of his mother, and this woman is a widow. Once again, we have a widow who has lost her only son. Once again, death has entered a family and left someone facing a future that suddenly looks completely different.

But this time it is not Elijah who approaches. It is Jesus.

And Luke gives us a beautiful sentence: “When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her.” Jesus sees her. He sees her pain. He knows what that death means for her. And He does not simply remain at a distance, offering a few words of encouragement. He comes near. Jesus says to her, “Do not weep.” Then He comes near and touches the bier, and says, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” And the dead man sits up and begins to speak. Jesus then gives him back to his mother.

There is something we must not lose sight of. Jesus is not concerned only with problems in general. He sees individual people. He sees that particular widow. He sees that particular son. He sees that particular pain. And the same Lord who saw her also sees you. He sees what you are carrying inside you right now. He sees the prayers you have been praying for months, perhaps for years. He sees the situation you do not know how to resolve. He sees the pain that perhaps you do not even know how to express. He sees the questions you are afraid even to ask. And He does not remain far away.

Sometimes we think that because something painful has happened, God has stopped caring about us. But the cross shows us the opposite. Look at what God has already done. He did not remain distant from our suffering. He came into this world in Jesus Christ. He took on our flesh. He entered into our broken condition. He carried our sin. He went to the cross and gave His life for us. And then He rose from the dead.

Therefore, when we find ourselves in a difficult moment, we can take a few steps back and remember what God has already done. We may not understand what He is doing now, but we know what He has done in Christ. We know that He has not abandoned us. We know that He loved us enough to give His Son for us. We know that the grave could not hold Jesus, and therefore the grave will not have the final word over those who belong to Him.

Paul’s words in Ephesians become especially meaningful here. He prays that God would strengthen us with power through His Spirit in our inner being, that Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith, and that we would be “rooted and grounded in love.” And then he prays that we may know the love of Christ, a love that surpasses knowledge. There will be moments when God’s ways go beyond our understanding. There will be prayers whose answers we will not understand. There will be suffering in which we cannot see the purpose. But God’s love does not depend on our ability to understand His plan.

Therefore, when something bad happens after we have seen God provide, let us not immediately forget what He has already done. Take a few steps back. Remember. Remember the prayers He has answered. Remember the times He provided when we could not see a way out. Remember the people He has placed in our lives. Remember His promises. And above all, remember Christ.

This does not mean that our pain is not real. It does not mean that we have to pretend that everything is fine. The widow wept. Elijah cried out to God. Jesus Himself wept at the tomb of Lazarus. We can grieve. We can ask questions. We can say, “Lord, I do not understand.” But we can say those words while still holding on to Him.

Because our hope is not based on having an explanation for everything. Our hope is based on the One who has already shown us His love. The widow received her son back, but one day that son would die again. The young man of Nain was brought back to life, but he too would one day face death. These miracles pointed to something even greater: the resurrection that Jesus Himself would accomplish. One day Christ will speak again, and the dead will hear His voice. The One who said to the young man, “Arise!” is the same Lord who rose from the grave and who promises resurrection to His people.

Therefore, when the next difficulty comes—and it will come—do not allow that single moment to erase everything God has already done. Stop. Take a few steps back. Remember. Bring your questions to Him. And when you cannot understand His answer, hold on to what you do know.

You know that Christ died for you. You know that Christ rose for you. You know that He sees you. You know that He has promised to be with you. And you know that, whatever happens in this life, not even death can separate you from the life He has promised. We will not always understand what God is doing. But we can trust the God who has already shown us who He is.