In this period of isolation and social distancing, the world has been forced to move at a slower pace. Everything has been affected, including people’s means of provision; in some cases, even the bare necessities have been limited. All of the things we took for granted just a few months ago are no longer easily within arm’s reach, and maybe this has left you feeling desperate and wondering how you are going to provide for yourself and your family.
During this time, you may be expecting help to come from the usual avenues you would turn to when faced with difficulties. But have you ever considered that the help you are looking for could come from a place that you least expect?
“Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 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 17:2-6)
God manifested His power in the midst of the desert. He sent ravens to bring bread and meat to prophet Elijah. His needs were met in a miraculous and unusual way, but the same can also happen today! Help can come from sources that you were not expecting, and God can cause you to receive provisions you need in an unusual way.
Ravens, of all birds, are scavengers. It is not in their nature to give; in fact, they even trick and distract other animals to steal their food! But this did not make a difference, because when God wants something to happen, it will! He saw Elijah’s need and used the most unlikely creature to provide for the man of God and resolve his situation. The impossible became possible!
Intelligence tells us that the ravens were able to feed the prophet because they themselves were being fed. If God was not taking care of them, how would they be able to sustain themselves to then help the prophet? It is not for us to wonder how God will do something—this will only lead to unhelpful speculation and worry—but to turn to Him for help and then trust that He will come to the rescue as He did for Elijah, that is using faith with intelligence.
It’s interesting to see in the story told in 1 Kings, that Elijah’s provision came only after “he went and did according to the word of the Lord.” What is it that God is telling you to do today?
Is it to ‘believe and do not doubt’ that even in the midst of this crisis, He is going to provide for you? Or is He asking you to be a “raven” so that others can be provided for?
Whichever it is, remember the words of Jesus: “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” (Luke 12.24)