When You’ve Done All You Can
February 13, 2026
"Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the LORD, 'LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!' The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, 'Look, your son is alive!'"
1 Kings 17:21-23 (NIV)
Ever faced a problem you absolutely cannot solve on your own?
As Yogi Berra said, "It ain't over until it's over." Elijah has a dead boy on his hands. He needs the one thing he can’t give—life. So he does what he knows to do while believing God for what only He can do. He stretches himself out on the boy three times and cries out to God.
This is the first resurrection recorded in the Bible. There's no manual on how to do this. No YouTube tutorial. But Elijah believed God could do what he could not. And he didn’t just pray, he acted in faith.
Faith isn't just believing God for what He's done in the past—you're believing God for what He's never done before. Then it happened, "The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived." (v. 22)
The widow responded, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth." (v. 24) God's purpose wasn't just to feed Elijah or prove His power. He wanted to turn a good mother into a godly mother—to turn her heart from a pagan god to the real God.
This nameless widow appears in Hebrews 11:35—"Women received back their dead, raised to life again." She’s in God's hall of faith.
The more you trust God, the better you know God. The better you know God, the clearer you see God. The clearer you see God, the sweeter you will love God.
What are you facing today? When you're in a bout with doubt, don't let your faith give out. Do the next right thing you know to do, then pray, "God, I've done all I can do. I'm leaving the rest to You." Then wait and watch Him work.
Prayer: Father, thank You that when I face the impossible, You specialize in what I cannot do. Help me do what I know to do while trusting You for what only You can do. When I've done all I can, give me faith to leave the rest in Your hands. Show me Your power this week, Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen.