In our previous meditation, we highlighted some fears and their limiting effects. Perhaps more profoundly, fear can damage our walk with God. Fear can make us less responsive to the instructions of God. We understand from the scriptures that Elijah acted on God’s instruction when he declared drought. If he had not dealt with his fear, he probably would be considering how he would survive in the days of famine. By overcoming that fear, he could pick new instructions that showed Him God’s provision for his sustenance.

…fear can damage our walk with God. Fear can make us less responsive to the instructions of God…Many people do not make God their priority when it comes to giving because of fear.

When the brook dried up, God gave him another unlikely instruction to go and sojourn with a widow in Zarephath. I believe that he had to deal with some fears about that as well. On the part of the widow, there was also fear. From her story, we see that fear can make us less responsive to the instructions of God.  Elijah had gone to the widow at Zarephath on the instructions of the Lord. God had commanded a widow to feed him. So the woman must have heard the Lord before the prophet arrived. When Elijah asked for bread, she hesitated until he charged her to “fear not”. So fear was the woman’s problem, not that she had not heard the Lord. Many people do not make God their priority when it comes to giving because of fear.