A Surprising Source

The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 1 Kings 17:6

There were two thoughts that came to me when thinking about this verse concerning Elijah, the first of which was about relationship. Elijah had told king Ahab that there would be no ‘dew or rain these years, except by my word’ (17:1). After delivering this news, the Lord told him to hide himself beside the Cherith brook, east of the Jordan. Then the Lord said these amazing words, “I have commanded the ravens to feed you there” (v4).

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! Luke 12:24

The psalmist tells us that the Lord, ‘gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry’ (147:9). The Lord hears the voice of the raven and he responds to them; now the ravens hear the voice of their creator and they respond to him. All their life they were fed by the hand of God, and now at his command they fed his servant. How beautiful the relationship between creation and Creator.

From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord. Psalm 121:1-2

The second thought that came to me was that help can from the most surprising or unlikely source. In Elijah’s case, the ravens were surprising; the widow, unlikely. This woman only had enough provision for one last meal with her son, but upon the word of the Lord, she shared it with Elijah.

The Lord is our great provider, so don’t be surprised when blessings come from an unlikely source. You are more valuable to him than a raven, and he will never fail to supply what you need, when you follow his will.

Cherish your relationship with the Creator and keep ready to respond to the sound of his voice.