Before we look at today’s passage, it will help if we take the time to remember a couple of old stories:

The first story is about a time when God caused a terrible drought to cover the entire land. King Ahab and his wife Jezebel had built altars to other gods, like Baal, and had been hunting down and killing the prophets of God. The prophet Elijah was hiding in the wilderness when God told him to leave Israel and go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon, an enemy of Israel. One day while he was there, Elijah saw a widow picking up sticks. He called to her and asked her to bring him a cup of water, and she did. Then he asked her to go make him a small loaf of bread, but the woman said she could not do that. She told him that she had nothing left but a small bit of meal and a small bit of oil,…