HE PROVIDES 1 Kings 17 vs 1-9 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe[a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” 5 So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook Sometime later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the LORD came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” Introduction In the above scriptures, we meet Elijah, he issues a decree that the heavens will be shut, they won’t be dew or rain on earth until he commands again by his word. This situation wasn’t going to affect to only affect everyone else but him as well, and we see GOD arranging methods to provide for him. We will draw a number of lessons from this and see how we can learn from this scene in the scriptures. 1. Even a man of GOD needs to depend on GOD for sustenance - Elijah was a great prophet of GOD, we see him by the power of his shutting the heavens to provide rain. We then see him having to depend on the methods of GOD’s provision. - No matter how anointed or great we can be in the things of GOD, we need to depend on GOD for provision. 2. GOD asked him to leave where he was - As children of GOD we need to realise and appreciate the power of geographical positions. Not every environment might have your blessing. Therefore that’s why we have to be careful when making decisions about where we stay and where relocate to. - We see this with the children of Israel, GOD was specific about them geographically positioning themselves in Canaan so as to enjoy the milk and the honey, not matter how good Egypt could have been for them it was not the correct position for them if they wanted GOD’s provisions. 3. GOD asked him to turn eastward - It’s important to take note of the direction. - Often GOD has a way of directing us towards his provisions. - It can be a career direction or a business direction, it’s important to appreciate the leadings of GOD if possible make a turn towards where he is leading you. - The challenge often is that we tend to follow what we are seeing working out there, the fact that someone is prospering selling tomatoes/ fuel it does meant you have to do so. 4. GOD asked him to hide - It’s very important to pay attention to the action as well, for Elijah he was supposed to hide. - Often we need to engage GOD and find out what we need to do in order to embrace his supernatural sources of provisions. - Often we are very close, we at the source but we lack the idea of “how “do we tap into the provisions of GOD. 5. GOD instructed him to drink from the brook and expect the ravens to bring him food. - Immediately we see something interesting, GOD providing in two ways. He provides naturally through the brook and supernatural through the ravens. - It’s very important to realise that though GOD can miraculously provide for us, he can also come through very natural means. Let’s look at these two methods. a. Provisions naturally through the brook, he had to drink from the brook. - Often we look down upon the provisions of GOD in some of the natural things in us and around us. - Sometimes GOD can work through our hands, talents, abilities and intellectual capabilities. - We have to realise that sometimes GOD can channel his provisions through these different means. b. Though the brook was there GOD had to direct him to the brook. - It’s very possible to be well resourced in the mind, body and fail to realise it, therefore the need to engage GOD so that we get to realise some of these things. c. He had to bend and drink from the brook - Though the brook has water, sometimes we have to work, we have to bend to draw water from it, and it’s up to us. - Sometimes we have to study and improve ourselves; we have to commit to spending sleepless in order to tap into the supernatural provisions. - That’s why having talents, sharp brains is not enough, there is a little more we have to do to translate all that into money and personal possessions. - We are often too lazy, ignorant and too relaxed to tap into his provisions. d. Provisions supernaturally through the ravens - Though Elijah had to look down and drink from the brook, he had to also look up expectantly as the ravens were also scheduled to bring food. - Not only does GOD provide to us through natural means, sometimes he comes through supernatural. - Often we look down around us to locate the blessings of GOD and forget to look up to his provisions. - Despite the different natural ways GOD provides for us, sometimes he comes through in a supernatural way we may fail to comprehend and understand. - We shouldn’t be limited to the things that we see, but also be constantly looking up to heaven. - The challenge we have today is we are very depend on our careers, our hands etc but we need to constantly look up perhaps there are ravens coming down with the blessing of GOD as well. 6. And the brook dried up - It’s important to realise sometimes the methods of GOD are seasonally. - We have to realise that one die the brook will dry up and we have to move and embrace the blessing of the next season. 7. GOD changed his geographical position. Elijah had to go to Sidon in Zarephath. - We shouldn’t be rigid when dealing with GOD; we have to be ready to change as per his word. 8. In Sidon there is no brook but there is widow. - It’s important to realise that the methods of GOD can change. - Despite being accustomed and skilled at drawing and drinking from the brook, Elijah had to adapt to the new method of talking to the widow. - Sometimes we become very rigid and think that GOD has a one size fit all solution when it comes to his provisions for our lives.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:19:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015