1 Kings 17:2-4 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food.”
I believe that God directs our paths if we let Him. And I believe that He will move us, sometimes in incremental steps, to get us where He needs us to be. I fully believe that this is what we are seeing in 1 Kings 17. God needs Elijah to strengthen his faith and dependence on God so that Elijah is fully prepared for what God is calling Him to do.
1 Kings 17:5-6 So he did what the LORD had told him….The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Step 1 is depending on God by the brook with the ravens. There is no human way to explain the ravens bringing him food, but I’m sure that the brook gave Elijah a tiny sense of control. As long as the water was flowing, he would be able to get a drink. But then God led him further on this trust journey by drying up the brook and sending him to Gentile country to a desperately poor widow for sustenance. Step-by-step, God guides him into deeper trust and faith. Step-by-step.
1 Kings 17:7-8 Then the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the LORD came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath…and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your presence and guidance in this life. Thank You for calling us out of our comfort zones into deeper reliance on You. Help us to hear Your voice. Help us to heed Your call. Help us to follow Your lead. Step-by-step. Draw us closer. Always. Amen.
1 Kings 17:14 “For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.’”
Have a blessed day.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.