“And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook.” 1 Kings 17:6 (Amplified)
The stupefied prophet Elijah could not believe his ears. Had God just told him that He had commanded ravens to feed him by the brook Cherith or was it something else? As the shock subsided and God’s word further sunk in, he realised that that was the case and made haste to obey and according to the above passage that was what happened.
The background of this story was that Elijah had just prophesied a three and a half year drought on the land and had to leave in a hurry because he had stirred the ire of the ruling establishment which wanted his head. God commanded him to hide by the brook Cherith and await further command and also provided for his need by sending ravens to bring him food twice daily. After the brook dried up as the drought took hold, God commanded Elijah to move outside the country to Zarephath which was in Sidon, where He had commanded an unlikely host, a poor and starving widow to feed him. God again supplied his need, albeit through unlikely means.
What implication do these stories have for us during this difficult economic period? First, understand that obedience always precede God’s provision. The bible says that the disobedient shall dwell in parched land, Jer 17:6-8. So whatever God tells you, do it and without hesitation. God’s blessing on our lives is the fruit of our obedience. To keep that blessing flowing, you must continue obeying Him, however improbable or weird His directives. He knows what He is doing and can be trusted with our lives.
Second, while the means of His blessings may change or differ from our expectation, the source – God, is always the same. First, God commanded the reputedly selfish and revolting ravens and then the down and out widow to feed Elijah. It implies that God sometimes use means that are not palatable or with which we are not comfortable to bless us in difficult times. Our responsibility is to accept whatever means by which He chooses to bless us and see them as just the means they are. What really matters is that we maintain our connection to the source of all blessings who is God.
Third, we must humble ourselves enough to appreciate the fact that we are servants of the living God and that our unreserved obedience to His word will positively impact not only our lives, but also those who would be fortunate enough to come across our path. We must maintain kingdom perspective and put God first by trusting Him even when we have no clue as to what He wants to accomplish in or through us.
Fourth, understand that if one means of God’s provision dries up, it is not necessarily the end of the world. It simply means that God has already lined up another means of blessing you, as He is bound by His word. With this understanding, you don’t have to live in fear of what tomorrow might bring, which brings us to the fifth implication. Praise God for His unfailing provision; for there is no better way to guarantee His wonderful provision than to praise Him in anticipation of meeting your needs.
Prayer:
Lord, I rejoice in and praise you for the uncommon blessings through uncommon means from unexpected quarters that you will provide for me in Jesus name. Amen