Just Try

1 Kings 17:8-16

This is a sermon I want to stick with you for a long time. I want this to stick in your head. And when you’re not sure what to do, just try. If you aren’t sure you can do something, just try. Hey, give it a shot. Just try.

I want to start out today with one of my favorite Scriptures in all the Bible. This is an extremely powerful story that I want you to remember.

The Story of Elijah and the Widow Woman

This life is tough. Some people give up when it gets tough. Hey, don’t give up. Just try. God is with you. Just try. He wants you to try. Please listen to the word of God closely. This Scripture is a story about Elijah the prophet and the widow woman of Zarephath.

Elijah has no food to eat and no water to drink. Nothing. So, what does he do? Let’s see.

1 Kings 17:8-9
And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,  9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

God is taking care of Elijah and leading him the right ways. Elijah could have given up. He was going through tough times.

God has commanded a widow woman to sustain or to take care of Elijah.

So, you would think this widow woman has some money, some food, some water for Elijah. Right? Elijah heads to this woman for help.

Elijah Needs This Woman for Food and Water

1 Kings 17:10-11
So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.  11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.

She’s going to get Elijah some water. And then he asks for a morsel of bread. A morsel is just a small amount of food.

And remember, God sent Elijah to this woman so she can sustain him.

1 Kings 17:12
And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

Elijah needs food. The water is drying up. This widow woman has just a tiny bit of food left. Not even enough to make a small cake of bread. She has a handful of meal or flour. Think about that. Just a handful. She has a little oil. She’s gathering sticks to cook.

It’s her, her son, and now Elijah is asking for food. She only has a small amount.

The Woman is Starving But She Just Tries

She is at the point of death. They are starving. This is the last of the food. It’s a very sad day for her. She has nothing left. “That I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” She’s starving. She believes the end is near. Really near.

I want you to notice how this is going down. God sent Elijah to this woman to sustain him, and she’s dying. But notice that God sent him to this woman. Will everything be okay? God’s there.

This is what I want you to understand. God’s there. You’re his child. Will he care for you? He wants you to know he’s there. He wants you to just try. Even when you’re at the lowest of lows in your life, know that he’s there and just try. Keep on going. Keep trying. There will be a break in the darkness and the light will shine through!

This woman was giving up. Don’t give up. Just try. Have faith. Keep going. Watch what happens.

1 Kings 17:13
And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

Just Try and Don’t Give Up

Now, this widow woman of Zarephath could have just given up and not tried. Imagine this. You have just a little bit of food left. A man comes to you. “Fear not. Go and do as thou hast said.” But watch what he says next.

“BUT make ME thereof a little cake FIRST, and bring it unto ME, and AFTER make for THEE and for THY son.”

You’re starving. You have a handful of food left. And this man tells you to make his food first. Go make mine first. What would you do? You’re at the end of your life starving. Imagine the thoughts going through your head.

But hold on, Elijah wasn’t finished talking. Watch what he says next.

1 Kings 17:14
For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.

Now you’ve got some hope. This man is from God. He’s the prophet Elijah.

“For thus saith the Lord God of Israel.” That’s why you come to church. You might be starving. You might be at the end. You might be having the most trouble you’ve ever had in your life. But you come to church anyway to hear what God has to say. Just try. Don’t quit. Keep trying. God’s help is coming. You come here to see what God has to say. Just try. See what happens.

The Lord God of Israel Steps In

“For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, UNTIL the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.”

Without rain, the crops aren’t growing. The food isn’t there. Without rain, we would all die. It’s not raining there.

But God says, “Don’t worry.” That barrel of meal will keep on giving you more food. That cruse of oil will keep on giving you more oil. God is performing a miracle. He’s going to keep on giving them food. He’s going to make sure they have food. But will this widow woman believe him? Will she just try or will she give up?

Will she do what Elijah is asking? Will she believe his words? Or will she give up?

When I tell you that God is going to bring you through your trials, your troubles, and big problems, will you believe me? Will you just try? Or will you give up? Hey, don’t give up. God’s got you. You need to have faith. Get rid of all the things in your life that take that faith away. And focus in on the things of God.

Just Try and See What Happens

Just try. And watch the power of God. What does this widow woman do? Does she have faith? Let’s see.

1 Kings 17:15-16
And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.  16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

This is a wise woman. She went and did according to the saying of Elijah. That’s why we’re here. We’re taking these same words and telling you these same words so you can see how God does things.

God sent you to us. He sent us to you. He put us together. This isn’t a mistake. God did this. I’m here for you. You’re here for me. God sent Elijah to that woman to sustain him. And Elijah sustained her. They needed each other. I need you. You need me.

I am going to just try and give you my best. I need you to just try and give me your best.

When the church is open, get here. We’ll do this together. We’ll stick together, and we’ll make it through all the tough times. We need each other. This is your real family here. This is the family of God. And we’re going to be your family of God. When we come together as a church, special things will always happen. Lives will change.

The Woman Just Tried and Did What Elijah Said

Do you believe me? I am preaching from the word of God. Elijah gave that woman the word of God. She believed him. She went and did what he said. She had nothing to lose and her life to gain. And the life of her son.

When you stick with us here, you’ll gain, your family will gain, your kids will gain, everyone will gain.

“And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal WASTED NOT, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.”

Hey, just try. Try coming to church with us every service. Try hearing the word of God preached several times per week. And see what happens. Your faith will increase. Nothing will shake you. A setback in your life is just a little test that you’ll pass. We all have setbacks. Don’t allow them to take you away from God.

God Will Take Care of You if You Just Try

Just try. Keep trying. Keep going. Don’t quit. Stay on the good path. And God will take care of you.

Hebrews 13:5-7
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.  7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

God says he will never leave thee. Now, if you’re having months of trouble, you might feel like God left you. But remember his words. I will never leave thee. He doesn’t lie to you. He’s there.

“I will never forsake thee.” That’s what he said.

Have faith and keep trying. Just try. Don’t go backwards. Let’s move forward together. Forget the things of the past. I know what you’ve done. But those things are forgiven and forgotten. You’re with us now. You’re with God’s people.

“The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

We speak the word of God to you. Hey, we have faith here. You can see it. You know what we do. We came and we found you out there. We’re here for you. God sent us to you. God sent you to us. Remember that. He loves you. He sent you help.

We have faith. Follow us in that faith. I must have great faith to lead. Nathan must have great faith to lead. He hasn’t missed a service since we opened. 4 services per week every week. Faithfully here serving the Lord. And he hasn’t felt good many of those days. And yet, he’s there. He’s here.

Put Forth the Effort as We Lead and Just Try

He goes out soul winning with me every week multiple times per week. He’s showing you the faith he has in the Lord Jesus Christ. Follow that example. He shows his wife and his kids his faith. He leads them the right way. His boys see him doing the work of God.

Be like that. You might say, “Well I can’t do it.” Well, that’s why I’m here. I’m telling you that you can. I don’t care what you’ve done in the past. You’re here now.

I know you can do this. I know each and every one of you can get here for church, go out soul winning with us, learn how to preach the Gospel, learn how to get people saved, learn the Bible, teach the Bible, and be followers of the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

We make it a top priority in our life to be here every service. Why? For God. For you. For our families. We want the best for you and your family. We’re here. Please be here with us.

Follow us in that faith. God put us here for that reason. I know God can do anything. Is anything too hard for the Lord?

There Is Nothing Too Hard for the Lord

Nothing is too hard for the Lord. We will guide you in the ways of the Lord.

That widow woman of Zarephath trusted and just did it. She tried. It worked. Just try it. Hear God’s words. Believe them. And just try. I know you can do it. When you’re having trouble, just try.

Someone says you can’t do this or you can’t do that. Maybe people have told you in your life, “You’ll never be worth anything.” Oh yeah. Watch. Just try. Go in the paths of righteousness. Don’t go away from God. Don’t get off his path. You’ll fall. He’ll pick you up. But stick to his path and you won’t fall down. It won’t hurt.

Joshua 1:9
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Trust God’s Words and Simply Try Your Best

See the words. They come straight from the mouth of your God. Be strong. Hey, be strong. Have courage. Hey, have courage. Be not afraid. Don’t be afraid. Do not be dismayed. Don’t lose heart. Have a strong heart. Why?

God says, “For the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

You go. You try. Just try. Keep trying. Trust God. He’s with you. Keep going straight on his path, and he is with you.

Sometimes we don’t want to do things that we know God wants us to do. And we never get to see the amazing blessings that God has for us. If we won’t try, we never get to see what God will do for us.

So we have to just try. Coming to church. Just try. Soul winning. Just try. Singing. Just try. Preaching. Just try. Helping others. Just try. Talking to your neighbors. Just try. Inviting your family to church. Just try. All of these things help others. We need to try our best. Just try.

Four Lepers Just Tried

I want you to hear this example from the Bible. I want you to see how these men just tried. And I want you to see what happened.

2 Kings 7:3-4
And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?  4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

The people in that city were starving. They were starving. They had no food. They thought about it. If we go into the city, the famine is there. There’s no food there. We shall die there. If we stay and just sit here and do nothing, we die also.

They had another option. They could go into a city of their enemy, the Syrians. Maybe they save us. Maybe they give us some food. Or maybe they kill us. The worst thing that can happen is they kill us. We’re going to die anyway. If they kill us, they kill us. So, let’s just try.

And they tried. In your life, you can sit there and do nothing for the Lord. And you will get no rewards in heaven. Or, you can just try and watch what the Lord will do. Try. Try. And try again. And don’t stop. And just watch what happens.

Now, let’s see what the four leprous men did.

2 Kings 7:5
And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.

They tried their best option. You have the best option at this church. Spend your life working with us here. Just try and see what happens. This is your best option.

They Got Up and Tried

Those men ROSE UP. They got up and they tried. They went into the camp of their enemy. They knew they might die. But they did it anyway. When they got there, the enemy wasn’t there. “Behold, there was no man there.”

2 Kings 7:6-7
For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.  7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.

The Lord can do anything. He scared the Syrians and they fled. They ran away when nothing was there. We may have enemies. They don’t scare me. They shouldn’t scare you. Stick to God. Stick with us here. Just try. And God takes care of us.

The Syrians left everything. They left all their possessions there in that camp. Those men had nothing. They were starving. God’s people were starving.

2 Kings 7:8-9
And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.  9 Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household.

They Went Straight Towards the Enemy and Tried

They went right into the enemies camp. They ate and they drank. God provided. And he provided much for them. An abundance of food, drink, silver, gold, clothing, and more. They carried things away. They hid things for themselves. And then they thought: “We do not well.”

Their conscience hit them. The Holy Spirit hit them. They said, “This is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace.” They weren’t sharing. There were others starving. They thought about the others.

We need to think about the others. We share the good things with others. They said, “Let us go and tell the king’s household.” And all the people ate and drank. They were all fed. Not just the four men. All the people.

Why?

All because those four men just tried. Hey, it’s time to just try. Go ahead and see what happens. Try the good way. Try the good paths. Try the Lord. You have nothing to lose. Just try.

Hey, don’t forget what I’m telling you today. Take a step out in faith. Just try. Stick with us here. Come to church every service. Go soul winning with us. Start with once per week. We’re going today. Just try. And keep staying faithful to do the Lord’s work. And watch what happens. There’s no better choice you can make than to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

I want you to remember the people in the Bible. They are in the Bible because they tried. Just try.

Let’s pray.