Elijah and the Ravens

What if your breakfast was brought to you by birds? Let me tell you about a man named Elijah, and the surprising ways God took care of him.

Elijah was a prophet. That means he was God's messenger. He listened to God, and he told people what God said. In those days, Israel had a king named Ahab. King Ahab did not follow God. He worshiped pretend gods instead. One day, Elijah brought King Ahab a message from God. He said, "There shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word." That meant no rain. Not even dew on the grass in the morning. Not until God said so.

Then God told Elijah to go and hide, beside a little brook called Cherith. A brook is a small stream. Can you hear it? Bubbling and splashing over the stones. God said, "You shall drink from the brook. I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."

Ravens? Ravens are big black birds. They are clever and noisy, and they like to keep their food for themselves! But Elijah did what God said. He went to the brook, and he waited. The next morning, flap, flap, flap! Down swooped the ravens, right to Elijah. The Bible says, "The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening."

Breakfast and dinner, delivered by birds! And whenever he was thirsty, he drank cool water from the brook.

But there was still no rain. Day by day, the brook got smaller and smaller, until one day, it dried up.

Had God forgotten Elijah? Not at all! God already had a new plan. He told Elijah to go to a town called Zarephath. God said, "I have commanded a widow there to sustain you." The widow was a mother, living on her own with her young son. To sustain someone means to take care of them. So Elijah walked all the way to Zarephath. At the town gate, he saw a woman gathering sticks.

He called to her, "Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink." As she went to get it, he called again, "Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." A morsel is just a small piece. The woman stopped. She told Elijah she had no bread at all. Just a handful of flour in a jar, and a little oil in another jar. She was gathering sticks to bake one last little meal for herself and her son. After that, there would be nothing left.

Elijah said, "Don't be afraid." He told her to make him a little cake first, and then make some for herself and her son. Because God had made a promise: "The jar of meal will not run out, and the jar of oil will not fail, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth."

Meal means flour. So no matter how much she used, the flour and the oil would not run out! Now the woman had to choose. Would she trust God's promise?

She did! She went home and baked a little cake for Elijah, just as he had asked. Then she peeked into the jar, and there was still flour! She peeked into the other jar, and there was still oil! The next day, there was enough again. And the next day. And the day after that. Elijah, the woman, and her son ate for many days. The flour never ran out, and the oil never ran dry, just as God had said.

And much later, when the time was right, God sent the rain again. Every drop of his promise came true.

This story teaches us that God takes care of us, sometimes in very surprising ways. We can trust him to give us what we need.