“Because I said so.” Were you ever on the receiving end of that statement as a kid? Your dad asked you to do something, you responded with “But why?,” and he replied, “Because I said so.” Boom. End of discussion. 

It’s such an unsatisfactory answer, isn’t it? We all want to understand the reasoning behind something. “Because I said so” requires us to blindly obey without an explanation.

The widow in 1 Kings inspires me with her unquestioning obedience to her heavenly Father. The quick synopsis is that Elijah asked her for food, which God had directed her to supply him, but she only had enough food left for one meal. She and her son were literally starving to death. However, Elijah assured her they wouldn’t run out of food. 

What would you do in this situation? I’d probably wonder, “Why me? Why not choose someone else who has the resources available? How will I not run out of food?” But her obedience was incredible. “She went away and did as Elijah had told her” (1 Kings 17:15).  

She trusted God with the details. She placed obedience above fear of uncertainty.  

God was good on his word. “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” (verses 15,16).