I find birdwatching to be very fascinating, and I could still remember the time when I was feeding a raven. Ravens are very greedy birds, but despite this inherent trait, God still used this bird in a mighty way in Elijah's life. The Bible depicts Elijah as a great man of faith. He was the second man on Earth to meet God without dying (Enoch was the first). 1 Kings 17:2-24 talks about God's provision and Elijah's faith, obedience, and perseverance. In this story, Elijah obeys God's command to hide from wicked King Ahab at Brook Cherith during a drought. God provides ravens to faithfully feed him bread and meat twice daily. This is amazing, because ravens are noted for neglecting even their own young due to their greediness. As time progresses, the brook slowly dries up, but Elijah chooses to stay there until God tells him to move.So many lessons can be learned from this story. The ones that strike me today are as follows:
1) If God can use a greedy raven to care for His faithful servant, He can use anyone, including me.
2) No problem is too big for God. He can choose to supernaturally provide for our needs, like how He used the greedy ravens to faithfully feed Elijah twice each day.
- I can always trust that God will provide for my needs, especially when I obey Him, regardless of my circumstances, geographical location, etc.
3) If God tells me to go somewhere, I should go there and stay there, regardless of the challenges and difficulties, until He tells me to move.
Personal Application: I know that God clearly told me to move to Florida and I know that He placed me where I am at today. During this journey, He has faithfully provided for all of my needs (and more) through various past and present sources. Yes, life can be challenging for me sometimes, but I pray that I will not allow my circumstances and my flesh to control me. I'll joyfully choose to stay where I'm at, until God tells me to move.
I still don't know why I'm here. Perhaps very recently, I may have unintentionally failed the first opportunity to carry out one of His purposes. As I humbly asked for forgiveness today, God comforted and assured me that His will--not mine--will always prevail, regardless if I mess up (intentionally or unintentionally). Good to know, especially since it's always so easy for me to mess up in certain things, in many things. I don't know about you, but I've still got a lot of growing-up to do! I pray that God will give me another opportunity to pass the same test that I just failed miserably. Ouch, I just flunked my first test!!! Wait a second, this was my second test. The first test happened exactly 8 years ago, and guess what? I failed that one, too! Oh, and I happened to live in Orlando during that time, as well!
Strike 3 is not an option, so Lord, please help me! Please open my eyes, my heart, to what You're trying to say and do...and by the way, please give me a third chance. And, please help me prepare this time, so I'll know what to do.
I don't like failing, but most of all, I don't like failing God.
So anyway, while I'm here, I'll continue to serve God and others joyfully with the talents and abilities He has blessed me with. And, if ever I miss a step in the process, I know He'll deliver me whenever I would humbly come to Him for help. I'm not going anywhere, until then.
Like with Elijah, God used the raven to teach me many valuable lessons today...
