1 Kings 17:23-24. "And Elijah took the child ... and delivered him to his mother; and Elijah said 'See, your son lives.' And the woman said to Elijah, 'Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.'" 

This was the second time God had saved this widow's son from certain death. The first was when Elijah was sent to her, met her gathering sticks, and asked her for something to eat. The widow fed him, even though she did not have enough for her son and herself, and Elijah promised, and God provided, that her jar of meal and flask of oil would not go empty until the drought had passed. (1 Kings 17:8-16)

Elijah was sent specifically to this poor widow, and performed two amazing miracles for her. Later, when Jesus begins His public ministry, He mentions this widow, pointing out that there were many widows in Israel at the time of the drought, but Elijah was sent outside of Israel, to this woman in Zarephath. (Luke 4:25-26). God certainly wanted to help this woman, sending Elijah to her and having him perform two miracles for her, but He also clearly wanted to use this widow as an example for all of us.

This reading gave me some hope today. I have been feeling down lately, there are situations in my life that I have been praying and hoping for resolution to for many years, and I do not see solutions on the horizon. It can get discouraging, and the holidays are especially difficult as I struggle with these things. But I realize that, thanks to the way I was raised, to many people in my life, and to the grace of God, I am lucky enough to have been given the gift of faith. Even though I sometimes still feel anxiety and worry, and I often find myself looking for a miracle in the specific areas of my concern, I already know what this widow came to realize - that the word of the Lord is truth, and that He will provide.

God is taking care of me, and of all of us! He gives me many other consolations, and sometimes even miracles, to keep me going while He is working on the bigger picture behind the scenes. I may see Him perform miracles in other people's lives that I think I want, but those miracles are not meant for me. Maybe He knows others need them in that moment more that I do, or maybe He wants to be glorified in their lives. I do not know His reasons, nor do I have to. Meanwhile, He is asking me, for now, to let Him be glorified in my need (as day three of the Surrender Novena says, which was today's day for me!).

Jesus used the story of this widow to point out that God does not always act in the way we expect Him to, nor to the people we might think He should. I must stop having expectations of God, and just relax into His love. He is always caring for us and seeing to our every need, even when He is not performing obvious miracles in our lives. If I am truly honest with myself, I can see His blessings and His loving care throughout my life. I have no reason to want anything more, and, if it is His will, I will get my miracle when the time is right!