Luke 4:26 “but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.”
Is Jesus then suggesting that God chose this woman on purpose? Was there not something uniquely desperate about her condition? Was she not notably needful in some way? It seems clear that Jesus is not only suggesting, but flat out revealing, the intentions of Almighty God in this case. Elijah was not sent to the widows in Israel for the same reason that Jesus would be rejected among His own. The need was great, but the faith was almost non-existent.
One may now seek to explain that because faith comes from God, it is He that chose to weaken the faith of the Jews. And they would be only partly right. God, in His infinite foresight, already knew the disobedience of the hearts before the faith was dispensed. Thus the weak faith only matched the weak will to respond. Again one will say that the will to respond is all from God as well. Again they would only be partly right. He gives man the ability to will for himself. And so we may choose to will to disobey. To miss this, one would have to completely ignore the first few chapters of Genesis.
Heavenly Father, we can gain no glory for the choices we make. It is of Your mercy that we are not consumed. It is You Who has chosen to uphold the upright in heart. It is by Your standard that our obedience is judged. Some will respond, and some will not, this we know. But we choose, as we are able, to respond. We will give You the praise and honor. We will ask You to strengthen our faith. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.