The Provision is Coming!

(Message by Bro. Joel on 25th October 2009 at NLF, Vashi. You may please comment if I’ve missed some vital points. As usual, it’s from memory and notes…but must convey the spirit of the message. Happy reading!)

I guess you all enjoy worship. You see, worshipping the Lord brings about a change in our lives…worshipping in spirit leads us to know the heart of God and when God speaks…it is Truth; that has the power to change us. God's word is Truth. And truth changes us-sets us free. See, man may bring about a temporary change by helping us in some circumstances, but when God brings about a change, it has eternal consequences; it is permanent. Are you with me?

Today let me talk to you about ‘miracles in the midst of famine’. Oh, yeah! The provision is coming! In the midst of the drought, there is the Word of God. Maybe, this is a familiar chapter for you…1 Kings 17. We see Elijah going upto Ahab, the king of Israel.

V1: “And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”

Let me share some background information on this episode…Ahab was one of the most wicked kings of Israel (1 Kings 16:30), whose wife was Jezebel-a Sidonian princess; a wicked, dominating and ruthless queen. And she worshipped ‘Baal’, (A ‘god’ associated with rain, thunder and fertility) a god of the pagans and Ahab too followed Jezebel in building altars and worshipping Baal (16:31), reining-in the times of apostasy.

Now, Elijah heard the voice of the Lord during that time. And acted on God’s word; went up to Ahab and threw down the gauntlet. It was as if Elijah was saying, ‘See, it’s NOT your 'god' who is in control of the rains and harvest…it’s MY God, the God of heaven and earth. And how will you know this? Because I now call a drought on this land, and until I say, it WON’T rain.’

See, when we HEAR God’s voice, it’s time for us to ACT on it. LISTEN and OBEY! And Elijah did just that. For we see in verses 2-4: ‘Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there”’

Imagine the situation there. A drought is ushered in and God speaks to His servant Elijah, making a provision for food and water (ah yes, the essentials for survival). See, God provides us through His Word. ‘It is written; Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God’ (Matt 4:4). Elijah did not run and hide out of fear. He heard God's voice and only obeyed.

Ou God is Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider. The word of God says that He shall keep His covenant and mercy for a thousand generations! Get a hold of that! If God was the Provider, for Abraham, and Elijah, He is the same Provider for you and me, thousands of years later, thousands of generations later! It is His Word! It will not fail. And God PROVIDES us by His Word! All we have to do is LISTEN and ACT; HEAR and OBEY. The provision is coming!

V6 says, “The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook”

Here’s the ‘unclean’ bird commanded to feed Elijah. (See God commands everything; He has ALL authority and power, that’s why He is GOD). And the ravens bring him bread and meat; it’s as if Elijah is having meat burgers every day, in the morning and evening. (You know the Big Mac burgers! And the Coke is complimentary!) And so he drank water from the brook! So you see, in the midst of drought, there is God’s provision. (May I call ‘provision’, ‘miracle’?). In the midst of famine, there is the miracle! In the midst of recession, there’s going to be God’s provision – we’re gonna be like ‘recession-proof’ people! (Or are you gonna reject God’s provision ‘cos it’s delivered by the ‘unclean’ bird?). Beloved, LISTEN and ACT!

Let’s move on to v7; “And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land” Oh! Oh! Recession times again?

No problem, God has ANOTHER provision! Hallelujah!

See it in v8; “Then the word of the Lord cam to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”

See, God is going to provide us by His Word! He is going to give us INSTRUCTIONS on what to do. All we have to do is… yes, you got it...(say it with me…) LISTEN and ACT! A new day may bring new problems, but never mind, there’s going to new provision, new hope, new things…'God is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble’ (Ps 46:1). As the brook is getting all dried up, you can be sure God is making another way. 'God will make a way, where there seems to be no way’. Yes, the provision is coming!

And this time God commands a widow! She’s gonna provide Elijah with not just food and water, but also the third necessity – shelter!

We can imagine this widow, how she must have connected with God in her own troubles! Widowed-no human to care, a young son, very little food left-a little flour and some oil, just enough for one meal, resigned to death after that meal! Maybe that morning, in a corner, she would have quietly prayed, ‘If there is a God, please send someone to help US; we’re dying’. And God answers, saying, SHE must help Elijah. And now, she is asked to spare that meal too-share it with the prophet of God. And it does sound impudent on Elijah’s part “…make me a small cake from it FIRST, and bring it to me…” (v13).

But, the widow had HEARD from God. She was willing to OBEY! She recognized that this Elijah is the prophet of God. And Elijah confirms it with the promise of God, “For thus says the LORD God of Israel: The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth” (v14). Yes, the provision is coming!

The promise of God fulfils all our necessities. The widow’s family suddenly became drought-proof. The promise was for the entire drought season - however long it may be! That is the case with recession too! As the world wonders, ‘how long is the recession?’ we can hold on to God’s promise of provision and miracles, and being ‘recession-proof’ until it gets over, whenever that may be! Yes, the provision is coming!

If we read through the following verses, we find the incident mentioning the death and revival of the widow’s son. At the time of the son’s death, the widow begins to have some questions. ‘What have I to do with you, O man of God?’ ‘Have you come to remind me of my past sins?’ ‘Have you come to judge my sins and kill my son?’ What a tragedy! Fear takes hold of the widow. The antidote to FEAR is FAITH.

Elijah prayed, “O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him” (v21). And God answered Elijah’s prayer-another earnest prayer, the prayer of faith! The widow’s son was revived. In the midst of drought, God looks for His children, to answer their prayers, speedily. Have faith! Do not fear! HEAR and OBEY. Yes, the provision is coming!

May God guide us by His word! May God help us to LISTEN and ACT! That we may know, in the midst of famine there is God’s provision and miracles. Amen.