in accordance with the Word of the Lord... part 2

reflections on 1 Kings 17:5-9

(if you missed Part 1 you can read it here.) :)

So Elijah did what God said, and he hightailed it to the Kerith Ravine. It was a pretty sweet deal for awhile... he hung out in the ravine, the brook provided all the water he needed, God sent some ravens along with bread for breakfast and meat for dinner - he had everything he needed. Daily bread - truly provided. Yes, the bird thing was maybe a little weird... but it was kind of cool, too, and raven germs didn't seem to affect his digestion all that much... :)

What strikes me immediately about this part of the passage is that as Elijah obeyed the Word of the Lord, he was blessed for it. If he hadn't gone specifically where God sent him, there would've been a pile of moldy bread and rotten meat by a water source in the ravine, and a hungry, thirsty (and oh, by the way, most likely hunted) prophet somewhere else. But because Elijah did what God told him to do, he found himself well provided for...

For awhile. But as v. 7 points out: "Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land." Logical course of events... no rain, no brook, eventually. So what now?

Well, God had new directions and new manners of provision for Elijah. And now that he'd seen at least two major things he'd heard God speak turn out to be quite true, Elijah, in faith, went for it. When the Word of the Lord came to him, he followed it, and headed off to Sidon, looking for a particular person... he wasn't sure who exactly, but he figured God would probably point her out. :)

Elijah believed God for some pretty incredible things.... "Elijah, go tell the king it's not going to rain for years, and that you're the one who will say when that changes." "Elijah, go live in this ravine, and I'll send birds with enough food to sustain you." "Elijah, go to this city in this region and there's this woman I want you to talk to." And he did it.

I wonder if he ever thought he was crazy?

And what did he do all day in that ravine....?

I can't say for sure, but I'm betting he did a whole lot of praying and worshiping. And napping, probably. And I'm betting that hidden time was exactly what he needed - not only to protect him from death at the hands of Ahab (which really wouldn't have been smart on Ahab's part, as Elijah was needed to bring the rain... but worshiping false gods wasn't smart either, so enough about Ahab) - but also because in that secret place with the Lord, he learned to walk with Him in ways that many prophets of his day could only dream of... and that fellowship with, that intimate knowledge of, the Lord would fuel his ministry in some pretty incredible ways.

I'm not sure I want to be chased down by kings and queens or anything like that - but I want to walk with God that way.