I woke up this morning with many thoughts…okay, concerns.
Ministry, work, family, friends who are like family all seem to be demanding more than I have to give.
As the temptation to turn those concerns into worries arises, I read the story of Elijah.
Elijah was in a drought. He was hiding from an angry king. He was alone. His circumstances seemed dire. But God provided for him in the most unusual ways.
First, God provided food from a raven’s mouth. Think about it. Ravens are not kosher. Jews considered ravens unclean and had no dealings with them; yet the Lord chose that which was unclean to provide for His prophet.
Second, God chose a destitute widow to provide for Elijah. She thought she had nothing to give. By most standards, she didn’t. In fact, all she had was an obedient heart and a little oil and flour. But God used her little to feed her, her son, and the man of God.
So why am I tempted to allow my concerns to become worries? I am a woman of God. (If you are in Christ, you too are a moan or woman of God.) If God can feed Elijah using an unclean animal during a drought, surely he can give me the wisdom, the stamina, the provision, the miraculous I need in this season. If the Lord can sustain three people for years on one serving of oil and flour, surely, He can provide 200 families with turkeys and groceries for the holidays. If he can restore life to a dead child, surely, he can make wombs fertile, healed broken hearts and broken bodies, and bring children home. He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.
What concerns are vying to become worries in your heart? As the story of Elijah proves, God provides miraculously through uncommon sources. Give your concerns to him. As He provided for Elijah in a drought, he can provide for you in your desert season. His provision just may not look like we thought it would. But He will provide all of our needs according to His riches in Glory.
“So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.”
1 Kings 17:15-16 NLT