1. Angry Birds
- kids love it...adults love it... it's addicting!
- Birds flying through the air destroying their targets
- not all birds are scary, but there is something scary about scavenger birds
- like most things, we lose interest and desire something different... more
satisfying
2. The Raven
- Large Black Birds up to a 50 inch wingspan - related to the crow
- can be found from the arctic to the islands of the South Pacific
- in the air, they are skilled in their aerobatic maneuvers
- Ornithologists say the Raven is extremely intelligent
- their most recognizable characteristic is that they are SCAVENGERS. They eat
berries, fruit, insects, bread and the flesh of dead animals. They will kill small
birds, and mammals such as rabbits and rats.
- They are capable for a wide range of noises, including the ability to mimic human
speech.
- Given their black coloration, their enormous wingspan, and their reputation as
scavengers... it is no surprise that the Ravens have gained a mythic reputation!
They have given a word that describes a person so hungry that he/she will eat
anything...such a person is said to be ravenous!
3. Different Ravens in the Bible
- GENESIS 8:6-7 The Raven was sent to scour / scavenge the earth
- Proverbs 30:17 The scavenging side appears to feed off of the rebellious
- Isaiah 34:11 After God judged Edom, only the owl and the Raven would survive
there
- Luke 24:12 Even though the Raven is despised, God cares for them
4. Ravens declared as UNCLEAN by God because they are Scavengers. They feed off
of the dead things and scavenge from the earth(ly)
- When God gave the LAW to Moses...He declared the Raven UNCLEAN
Leviticus 11:13-19
- Elijah most likely would NOT have chosen as his provider the Raven nor the menu
of what they would bring!
- God routinely chooses the despised things of the world in order to confound the
mighty. He uses the foolish to bring the strong down to nothing.
5. What's to learn from the Story of Elijah and the Ravens
A. God Commanded and the Ravens came - but are they "Blessings" or "Lessons"
From God ?
- Elijah is hungry... God provides but it's not the bigger picture He wants Elijah
to see
- Another Scripture that parallels this is Israel's request for a King. God gives
them a King, but the lesson is bigger that they first can see
B. God did not allow Elijah to hoard up a surplus
- He wants Elijah to DEPEND on God.not his feelings, not his circumstances,
not his opportunities, not in what he can see!
C. God did not ask Elijah's permission before He sent the Ravens
- God does not need our "ok" or our "Stamp of approval" to direct our steps
- God demands our trust when He asks us to "let go and to let God"
- if God has you hiding in the WILDERNESS of your situation... He knows what
He is Doing. Don't allow yourself to dictate to God, consciously or sub-
consciously... how He needs to provide, solve or finish what He is doing! Be
STILL and allow Him to be God.if He has sent you to the Charity River in your
life... do not despair for He has not forgotten you! Though you are hidden to
man, you are not hidden to your Heavenly Father (Your ABBA)! He knows
where you are and He knows why you are there. Your grocery list is
written on His heart! Do not be surprised when a flock of large black birds
gather to your hiding place. They are God' Ravens, sent from Heaven to bring
you food!
D. God has appointed the beginning and ending of every season in our lives
- Psalm 115:3 - Our God is in Heaven; He does whatever pleases Him!
- Proverbs 16:9 - In his heart a man plans his course, but The Lord determines
his steps!
- we can write our plans down and make speeches about our long range goals
and about our future... we can state and restate all of our personal objectives
and strategies and intentions...but we MUST remember this... When we are
finished saying all of it... God ALWAYS gets the LAST word!
- What a relief to realize that God is God and we're not. Now we can rip that big
"G" off our shirt! We don't have to play God anymore and we don't have to try
to control everything around us. Ou can sleep well tonight when you realize
that God is God and we are not!
- Corrie Ten Boom was having trouble going to sleep at night because she was
so worried about the affairs of her life. she tried praying but it didn't help.
Finally, The Lord spoke to her heart... "Go to sleep, Corrie. I'm going to be up
all night anyway... I've got this!"
We can learn several important lessons from this:
First, God’s timing and ours are rarely the same. That is why we must learn to wait on the Lord.
Second, God’s plan is rarely revealed in advance. Elijah had no idea of where God would lead him next, and neither do we.
Third, God’s leading often involves sudden changes. Just when we think we think life is exactly the way we want it, suddenly everything changes. Life is a kaleidoscope of constantly shifting colors and patterns. Only God sees the big picture. At best we see only a part of the pattern, and then only for a brief moment.
Would you like to be like Elijah? This week I met a woman who told me she prays, “Lord, do the impossible in my life.” That’s an Elijah-like prayer because the prophet continually saw things happen that could not be explained apart from God. R. G. Lee said, “We never test the resources of God until we attempt the impossible.” Sometimes we are called to speak truth to power, and sometimes we are called to hide ourselves by the brook. If we are willing to obey, God can take care of the details. He can send the ravens to feed us when the world has forgotten us. Amen.
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