Elijah said to her [the widow at Zarephath], “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.’”
She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
1 Kings 17:13-16
During 2026, Peachtree Church is inviting everyone into Cultivate, a churchwide discipleship plan centered on the fruit of the Spirit and the kind of life God longs to grow in us. Throughout the year, we’ll explore how love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control take shape in everyday life through the Spirit’s work. Cultivate brings together worship, Scripture, group guides, and meaningful practices designed to meet you where you are and support growth in ways that fit your season. These twice-weekly devotionals are one way to stay connected, offering reflection and grounding for daily life with God. Whether you engage in many ways or just one, you’re invited to be part of this shared journey of becoming more rooted in who God has created and called you to be.
Devotional
Elijah began his interaction with this widow with the reminder that in the midst of a severe famine, when she had been planning to make one last simple meal before dying, she should not be afraid. In the midst of the times in our lives when we feel most overwhelmed and as though all we want to do is to give up, God continues to speak those same words each of us: “Don’t be afraid.”
In our moments of fear, we lose sight of the simple fact that with each breath we take, God is pouring his blessings upon us. When we choose to live with all that happens through a lens of fright, it usually becomes harder for us to keep our focus upon the source of our blessings. I do not write these words with an intent to provide a naïve understanding of the world or to gloss over the all too real realities that can make it difficult to not be afraid; rather I write them with the hope that we all (myself included) can live without fear.
It is in the moments when I feel most overwhelmed, when I believe that my life is at a point when it can seem that I don’t know how to move forward, that I try to shift my mind towards these words from Isaiah, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10), and the pages of Scripture contain many other similar reminders to help us through these moments.
God’s faithfulness can be seen most clearly in each of our lives in the places where he speaks to us the reminder that we do not need to be afraid. As we turn our eyes towards our Creator, we can remember that he will provide for us each, every day, in the ways that we need, not always the ways that we want, but always as we need. The challenge that continues to exist for so many of us is that as much as we want to not live in fear, it is not always easy to do. For so many of us, the process of turning from fear, from anxiety, from the simple sense of being overwhelmed, is one that can take a lifetime of work.
In the famines of our lives, the Lord will continue to speak his desire that we not be afraid that he might help us to see his faithfulness more clearly.
For Reflection
- Where have you heard God’s call to not be afraid most clearly?
- What do you fear? Does your fear interfere with your ability to see God’s faithfulness?
Prayer
God, I want to live by faith and not by fear. I want to be able to surrender my places of fright and anxiety to you that I might more clearly see your faithfulness in my own life. Help me to be able to keep my eyes upon you and to listen for your voice as it speaks to me through the words of Scripture. In Jesus’ name, we pray; amen.
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Devotionals