“The Lord Kept His Promise,” Liahona, July 2022.
Latter-day Saint Voices
The Lord Kept His Promise
For my family and me, the Lord’s blessings came after my obedience.
Just like the fulfillment of Elijah’s promise to the widow, our food and oil did “not waste” while I was unemployed.
Two months after I had been called as a counselor in our stake presidency, I lost my job. I worried about how I was going to provide for my wife and our two children.
While looking for a new job, I dedicated myself to my calling, which gave me many opportunities to serve my brothers and sisters. In fact, I became so busy in my calling that my wife wondered if there was anyone else in the stake who could do some of my assignments.
One rainy night just before family home evening, the phone rang. A gravely ill brother in the stake needed a blessing, and I was asked to go see him. Straightaway, I made arrangements to have a friend accompany me.
When we arrived, I immediately recognized the ill brother and was thankful for the phone call. A few days before, he had been interviewed for a stake calling. After we had anointed and blessed him, we told him we would return later to check on him.
I arrived home late and wet, but we still had time for a short home evening lesson. We decided to watch a video about Elijah and the widow of Zarephath.
As the widow was preparing to cook a last meager meal for her and her son, Elijah said to her, “Make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.” For her obedience, “the barrel of meal [did] not waste, neither [did] the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord [sent] rain upon the earth” (1 Kings 17:13–14).
Elijah’s words “make me thereof … first” penetrated my heart. With tears in my eyes, I said to my wife, “That’s it! First, we must do all the Lord commands, and afterward the blessings will come.”
Just like the fulfillment of Elijah’s promise to the widow, our food and oil did “not waste” while I was unemployed. The Lord knew our difficult financial situation, and He blessed us. The very morning after our family home evening, I was offered a job.
I know that the Lord keeps His promises. Because of this experience, my faith is great, as is my gratitude to Him.