WHEN THE BROOK DRIES UP

For two years, our family lived in the town of Bodega, California, where Alfred Hitchcock filmed his horror classic, The Birds. In the film, thousands of birds descend on a seaport village and begin randomly attacking people. No one ever discovers the reason for the birds’ bizarre behavior. It’s creepy, even to bird lovers.  

In contrast, God commissioned birds to provide food for the prophet Elijah in first King 17. After decreeing there would be no rain for several years, God told Elijah to hide in a ravine, and said, “You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there” (v 4).

Don’t you love God’s creativity? He could’ve provided for Elijah in thousands of ways, but he told him to hang out in a ravine, drink from a brook, and he’d send Doordash twice a day via Birdie Uber. Since ravens are scavengers, one can only guess the source of their grub. It wasn’t exactly Club Med, but God provided. Then things got worse. “The brook dried up” (v 7). So God sent him to Phoenicia where he “directed a widow to supply [him] with food” (v 9). Her flour and oil never ran out, and Elijah stayed with her until the drought ended. Who could possibly have imagined it all?

Ever had a time when your “brook dries up?” We lose our job, marriage, health, or a loved one. In the midst of the mess, here’s God’s promise. He “will supply all your needs” (Philippians 4:19).  Like Elijah, God already has a plan in place to provide for us in ways we’ve never considered or imagined. Whatever you’re going through, God has already commissioned “ravens” and “widows” to care for you. Trust Him. He will supply all your needs, even if it’s by raven express.

Ponder:

• Can you think of a time when God met your needs in a surprising way?

• Is there any reason to believe he won’t do that now?

Pursue: For a deeper dive, study 1 Kings 17.

Lord, you are the God Who Provides. I surrender to your will, and trust you to provide for my needs.