If you are raising a child alone, may God’s blessings be on you. You have a difficult job and a tremendous responsibility.

I grew up without a father, so I know something about the difficulties a single mom faces. When mom is the only one working, the only one responsible for paying bills and making repairs, the only one for everything, life sometimes does not seem like it is worth living.

I want us to look at two women this week, both of whom found themselves alone and in desperate situations. The first was Hagar, bondwoman of Sarah, and the widow of Zarephath.

In Genesis 12:2, God promised Abraham that He would make a great nation from him. On several occasions, God reminded Abraham of this promise; but still Sarah had no children.

Sarah became impatient and told her husband to take her handmaid, an Egyptian named Hagar, as a wife. Abraham did, and Hagar conceived and gave him a son whom he named Ishmael.

When Hagar found out she was expecting a child, “her mistress was despised in her eyes” (Genesis 16:4 KJV). Abram refused to do anything about the problem but left things in the hands of Sarah. Sarah was hard on Hagar, and Hagar ran away.

An angel found her and told her to return to Sarah and to submit to Sarah’s authority. Even then, God had a plan for Hagar and her child. Hagar did as the angel told her.

Later in this story, Sarah had her own son, Isaac. You can imagine how angry she was when she found Ishmael mocking her son. She was so angry that she told Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away. God told Abraham to do as Sarah wanted, and so he did.

Hagar found herself and her son alone and afraid in the Wilderness of Beersheba. She was ready to give up when once again an angel came to rescue her.

Our second story is found in I Kings 17. God sent Elijah, the prophet, to a place called Zarephath. In that city, Elijah found a widow in a desperate situation.

Elijah asked her for some water and some bread. The poor widow explained to Elijah that she had only a little meal and a little oil. She was gathering sticks to prepare the last of her food for her and her son, and then she knew they would die (I Kings 17:9-12).

Elijah had her make something for him, and then he performed a miracle that provided her with food until it once again rained. She shared what little she had with a stranger, and reaped great rewards.

Both of these women were desperate and alone. Neither had the resources to help themselves or their sons. They needed God’s help.

Have you ever been without food? I remember a time when I was a little girl that my mother and I had nothing in the house except a can of soup. I also remember the church where we attended bringing us a box of groceries and how difficult it was for my mother to accept their charity. Though ashamed of her situation, she accepted help to survive.

God did not send us an angel like He did for Hagar or a prophet like He did for the widow. He did send help in the form of Christian people.

I suspect that Hagar and the widow were very grateful for God’s intervention in their lives. They would have both been anxious about their children and what was going to happen to them. You may feel the same about your child if you are a single mom.

So, what can we learn from these women? Although God will not perform such miracles for us today, He is still present in our lives to sustain us. How can He sustain us today?

First, Hagar and the widow accepted the position in which they found themselves. Neither was happy about being alone and without food, and both thought they and their child would die, but they realized they had done all they could.

Sometimes acceptance can put things in the proper perspective. When you realize you can’t change the present, you look for ways to change the future.

I have no doubt that both of these women, with a little rest and time to think, would have done everything they could to change their situations. They would not have given up without doing everything in their power to survive.

Second, both women accepted the help that was offered. When things get desperate, we need to be willing to accept help when it is offered or ask for help. Don’t be ashamed to admit that you can’t change the situation yourself. Look for sources of strength and help in your church family, from your earthly family, or from friends.

James instructs Christians in James 1:27, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (KJV).

Third, ask for God’s help. James says in chapter 5 verse 16, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (ESV). It is interesting that the two verses that follow refer to Elijah, the same prophet that saved the widow and her son. James relates how Elijah prayed for it not to rain, and it didn’t for three and a half years. He prayed again for it to rain, and it did.

The power of prayer is undeniable for the faithful child of God. Don’t overlook that means of communication with God the Father.

Sandra Oliver

(Next week, “When I Struggle With Abuse”).