A Devotional

Daily Bread Delivered by Ravens

Give us this day our daily bread, we pray. Never forget that Christ
is our daily bread come down from heaven to give us
life. However, this term can also be literal in the Bible as well and
refer to physical provision. God doesn’t want us to spend all our
time worrying about the big picture or plan, but rest on His
promises for each day. Provide for us, Lord, enough to get us
through today. God is well known for this. The Israelites were
quite literally sustained by daily bread or manna in the wilderness
that would appear, and for the most part other than that which was
locked in the Ark of the Covenant or that which was collected the
day before the Sabbath, the manna would only last the length of a
day. This was a time when God’s people were utterly
dependent upon God for their daily nourishment, and for years it
continued like that. Still, the Israelites complained, even though
their needs were being met and miracles were happening all around
them. God carried them through each day and each challenge.

Another such instance in the Bible involves the prophet,
Elijah. God instructed Elijah to flee from King Ahab and Queen
Jezebel to the Wadi Cherith, after Elijah shared with them that God
was sending a drought upon the land because of their sin and idol
worship. “And the Word of the Lord came to him: ‘Depart from
here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the Wadi Cherith,
which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I
have commanded the ravens to feed you there.’ So, he went and
did according to the Word of the Lord. He went and lived by the
Wadi Cherith that is east of the Jordan.” 1 Kings 17:2-5

This was a test of obedience for Elijah, and an isolation period for
him to commune with God. Cherith means, “cutting away.” As
Elijah rested beside the drying stream and awaited instruction, God
sent ravens daily with scraps of bread and meat. Ravens are
carrion birds, so it is easy to imagine what sort and quantity of
sustenance was brought to Elijah during this time. Ravens were
considered by Jews to be unclean creatures, but Elijah does not
question his blessing and provision. Eventually the stream dried as
the drought took hold of the land, and God commanded Elijah to
travel to Jezebel’s home country to Zarephath and see a widow
there who was to give him the last of her oil and flour to make a
small cake. The widow had meant the last of her supplies to make
a small cake for herself and son before they were to die, but God
made sure that their supplies did not run out and she and her son
and Elijah were all sustained for many days.

The Bible is full of instances where God sustains His people
through impossible situations like droughts, deserts and
famines. He also sustains them through losses of faith and all
varieties of illness too. God provides His daily bread of all kinds to
help us through each day, and it comes in all forms. Sometimes it
comes in the mail, or from the lips of a friend and sometimes it is
delivered in miraculous ways we do not expect, like by
ravens. However, if you are being called by God to serve Him in
some way, or just need the strength to get through another day, take
heart, He will provide the daily bread.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell
God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you
will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can
understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live
in Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4:6-7

Submitted by Rachel Linkswiler