UNEXPECTED PROVISIONS

One of the names of the Lord is “Jehovah Jireh” which means "God sees our need and He will provide." Truly, all of us have needs whether it be in a natural or spiritual sense. But in all of our needs, God is surely able to provide.

Matthew 6:33 states that if we put first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all our needs will be met. And God supplies not just according to what we desire, but according to the riches of His glory (Philippians 4:19)!

Elijah was a mighty prophet of God who came to know God very well as his faithful “Jehovah Jireh.” As we take a closer look at the life of the prophet Elijah, we can witness God’s power to provide for His people:

Provision through the ravens: God provides when we obey.

“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.” (1 Kings 17:3-4)

God spoke this promise of provision to Elijah right after Elijah spoke a prophecy from God to King Ahab. The prophecy was not an easy prophecy to speak forth to the king for it was not good news at all. He declared that there will be drought in the land.

And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” (1 Kings 17:1)

Declaring a drought to a whole nation must have been very dangerous for Elijah. He could have been killed by the evil King Ahab! Also, the provision promised by God was not exactly likeable either, knowing that ravens are unclean animals.

Yet, Elijah chose to pay the price. He obeyed and saw the mighty hand of God move. He received God’s abundant provisions. The ravens even brought meat and not just tiny morsels of food!

Just like Elijah, we will be made to choose between following God or choosing the easy way out. It would have been much easier for Elijah not to say a word but he would have also missed the privilege of obeying God and experiencing His miraculous provision.

Acts 5:29 echoes this when Peter and the other apostles said that “we ought to obey God rather than men.” When our obedience to God can cost us something important like our reputation, influence, and relationships, we must also remember that our obedience to God is followed by His great provision.

God can also sometimes bring us to situations that are very difficult. The name of the Brook that Elijah was led to was “Cherith” which actually means “to cut.” This speaks of Elijah’s condition at that time.

When he was staying in Cherith, he was cut off from others. He could also not rely on his own strength to provide for himself. He had to solely depend on God to keep him alive.

Sometimes, the Lord can cause us to be stripped of our ability to provide for ourselves or to look to others for help. It is then that we must totally rely on God for His provision.

The brook and the ravens were also out of his control. Elijah had no control over the brook’s water supply. He also could not control when the ravens would come and how much or what they will bring him. Yet, God was in full control of Elijah’s provision.

When we are walking in obedience to the Lord, we will not have to strive just like Elijah. He simply stayed there and drank and ate according to what God gives him for the day. He was at rest in the provision of God.

Provision through the widow: God provides when we believe.

“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” (1 Kings 17:8)

When the brook already dried up, the Lord told Elijah to go to a widow in Zarephath who was supposed to provide for him. Interestingly, the provider God gave had nothing.

So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” (1 Kings 17:12)

The name “Zarephath” means “refinery” which tells us of what the widow was going through then. When Elijah asked her for water, she willingly gave because it was probably easily available to her. But when he asked for food, she struggled because it was the last she had.

When God asks us for something that we have in abundance, it may be very easy to obey. But when God asks for something scarce and valuable, then that is when our faith is truly refined.

It was hard for the widow to give it away because of fear. Yet, Elijah encouraged her that in her obedience, God intended to give much more than what little she had. As she obeyed, she experienced God’s abundant provision!

For thus says the Lord God of Israel: “The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.” So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. (1 Kings 17: 14-15)

Provision through an angel: God provides so we can press on.

In 1 Kings 19:4-8, Elijah experienced physical and spiritual weariness after running for his life when Jezebel threatened to kill him. During this ordeal, the Lord sent an angel to Elijah to minister to him and strengthen him.

When we are walking with the Lord, there will be times when we will feel spiritual weariness. But in those moments, the Lord desires to give us His strength to continue on until we reach the destination of our journey with Him.

Elijah was so strengthened supernaturally that he was able to last 40 days with just a couple of meals. He was able to reach the mountain of God through the provision of the Lord. Isaiah 40:28-31 tells us that even the strong can grow weary but as we continue to receive from the Lord, He will anoint us with His Spirit of Might to rise up to fulfill God’s work.

Elijah was able to walk and not faint because of this fresh portion from God. And so will we, if we learn to keep drawing our strength from the Lord.

For God is more than able to get us to our spiritual destination and make us hit the mark He had called us for. Amen!