And the word of the Lord came unto
him saying, get thee hence eastward, and
hide thyself by the brook of Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be
that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed
thee there. And it came to pass that after a while, that the brook
dried up….Arise, get thee to Zarephath … and dwell there: behold I have
commanded a widow woman to sustain thee. (1 Kings 17:3-8)
One more
time I am led to look at these verses again. We have already established that
our God cannot be boxed in His operations. He is sovereign and none can debate
to Him on how He should move. Take a while to ponder on this. First Elijah was
directed to a small brook Cherith, and then he was told that his food will come
from the ravens. Previously I had explained that the raven is a member of the
crow family.
A raven is a scavenger bird that picks on dead meat. However the
raven is also a very intelligent bird. None of God’s creation can ever be a
total write off. The intelligence of the raven enabled it to be relevant. Note
that the raven was carrying out this God given responsibility in the time of
famine. God has full control over the seasons we find ourselves. Remember that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are
called of the Lord. (Romans 8:28).
Seriously
imagine being fed by a raven. Honestly it is a humbling experience. Ravens are
not clean birds by any standard. They peck on dead meat that flies and other
dangerous organisms. Yet the Lord saw them fit for the assignment. There is a
silent message here. As we walk with the Lord daily we must develop an open
mind so that we will not miss our hour of visitation. God is no respecter of
persons. Elijah was a national prophet but that was a title for men to revere.
Elijah had to be fed by scavenging ravens. Please no matter how highly placed
you are, God can still use the so called lowly person in your eyes. If you
doubt me ask Naaman the general of Syria who was advised by his house help on
the solution to his leprosy.
“And it came to pass that after a
while, that the brook dried up….Arise, get thee to Zarephath”. The brook dried up after a while
since there had been no rain for such a long period of time. God is still the
ultimate source and no other can beat His abilities. Once again the Lord came
with a new instruction and Elijah followed it to the letter. If for nothing
else his faith and confidence in God had been built up during “the raven and
brook” experience over the years. As we walk with the Lord He will show us the
works of His hands to stir us to look upon His face for He is still the author
and finisher of our faith.
In life we will take leaps of faith. Elijah was asked to go to Zarephath. He was not sent to any person who was too comfortable but rather to a widow woman. Honestly our God has a wonderful sense of humour. “And dwell there: behold I have commanded a widow woman to sustain thee.” “And dwell there:” God said dwell there. That means he would stay a while. Her present lack was the springboard to her future sustenance. Elijah had enough faith to provoke her miracle because he had just encountered the raven and brook miracle.
Celebrate our God!
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