Elijah is best known for his public rebuke to the prominent idolaters at Mount Carmel. But God first called him to a more personal revelation of God’s grace for the low. The widow of Zarephath did not fit the stereotype of one deserving a visit from a great prophet; she was a poor, vulnerable, anxious, bitter, grieving unbeliever (vv. 12-13, 17-18). And most significantly, she was (like Jezebel) a Sidonian, not an Israelite (v. 9; cf. 16:31). By every cultural, physical, and religious standard, this woman was of low estate. Surprisingly, it was for the sake of this widow’s faith and the life of her son that God first used Elijah (vv. 23-24). In fact, Jesus Himself says Elijah’s ministry to this widow foreshadowed His powerful, pursuing grace for those we perceive to be far off and undeserving (Luke 4:25-26). Thanks be to God that in Jesus Christ we have a compassionate and powerful Savior who has become living bread and resurrection life for us, the low!