In 1 Kings 17, God sent Elijah into the wilderness to hide by the brook after delivering an unfavorable message to King Ahab. There, He taught Elijah a very important lesson that applies to us, as well: God will provide for you.

Rest in God’s Promises

God sent Elijah out with only one thing: a promise. “I have commanded ravens to feed you there.” Each day, that’s exactly what God did. The ravens never failed to come to Elijah with beaks full of the faithfulness of God.

God may not always care for you in the same way He’s caring for somebody else, or in the same way He’s always cared for you. But God’s children can trust that He will always keep His promises to provide for them.

Remember God’s Past Faithfulness

Taking Elijah out to the brook was one of the first things God did in Elijah’s ministry. From the very beginning, He wanted to instill in His prophet that he could trust God. Elijah would need this. He went on from there into many challenges, often standing alone against evil. During these times, he could think back to his days with the ravens. Every time he saw a bird, he could think, “God will provide what I need.”

Find a creative way to record and remember what God has done in your life. In the darkest times, you can then come back to the things you recorded that you forgot about and remember His faithfulness to you.

Be Ready for God’s Peculiar Provision

Ravens were unclean birds. This is the last way Elijah would have expected God to care for him. Satan wants you to doubt that God will help you when He doesn't show up in a way that makes sense to you. God’s ways are above our ways, and His thoughts are above our thoughts. We can trust Him.

Rejoice in God’s Present Provision

When we find ourselves waiting on God to supply a need we think we have, we can be tempted to grumble. It’s okay to be sorrowful and grieve over things you would like to happen in your life, but be careful. Don’t overlook the tables of provision that He has set before you right now because you are too focused on what He isn’t doing.

God will only ever give you what is good for you. If you don’t have something right now, it’s because He doesn’t think you need it. He is good and wise, and He knows better than you do.

God’s Ultimate Provision

All of God’s gifts are intended to lead us to a hill called Calvary, where we see God’s ultimate provision for our greatest need. Jesus provided the life of righteousness that we did not have, took the death that we deserved, was buried in the grave that we were destined for, and rose from the dead to offer eternal life to all who will turn and believe. When God gave us Jesus, He gave us everything!