Let’s use principles found in 1 Kings 17:2-16 on learning how to be fed by God while others are starving.
1. Hear the voice of God more than the thoughts of men
Verse 2: “And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying.” We need to have ears that hear from God and listen attentively to His voice. Our God does not only speak in church services but even at home or when we are alone meditating on His word.
2. Discover a work or job that will hide you even if it is despised – it will bring you closer to your God
Verse 3: “ Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.” Elijah was not led to a big river of Jordan but to a brook Cherith. This indicates that God can bless even a despised job. We need spiritual eyes to help us locate our God-given blessings.
3. Identify the blessings located close to you and located far away
Verse 4: “And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.” God planned to use brook to supply drink and ravens to supply food. There are blessings that are near you and that are far away from you. So you need discernment to enjoy God’s provision for your life.
4. Take the initiative to do what God is telling you to do without hesitation
Verse 5 “So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.” Don’t allow your limited mind to doubt what God is directing you to do. Just believe and act and you will see the glory of God. God knows the end from the beginning.
5. Stop despising people – God can use someone you do not trust
Verse 6: “And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.” No one expects ravens to bring bread and flesh safely because flesh is their main food. Moreover, ravens are clean. So God can command a person you never expected to serve or bless you.
6. Accept the limits God has set for certain kinds of blessings
Verse 7: “And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.” We need to continue hearing from God because He has set different seasons in our life. We can’t just stick to last year’s guidelines. When God allows the brook to dry, He has a greater plan in store for us.
7. Do not cling to outdated visions – Receive new vision and instructions from God
Verses 8, 9: “And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.” When God closes one door, He has opened another one. So do not force to open the closed door. Instead find a door that is open for you. It is possible that God wants you to relocate now in order to meet you financial breakthrough.
8. Identify people who have your blessings even if they are low-level people
Verse 10: “So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” God can use whomever He choose. Just humble yourself and see how God will raise people you never thought of. You are God’s masterpiece.
9. Recognize the signs of identifying people with your blessings and know how to connect with them.
Verses 11-16: “11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.”
When Elijah met the widow he had to prove whether she was the one God showed him. When he confirmed that she was the one, she gave a divine command that became a miracle to sustain him and the family for the entire period of famine. If he did not have spiritual eyesight, he would have looked for wealthy widows and would have been in conflict with God’s plan.
May the Lord open our spiritual eyes and ears so that we do not live as strangers in our own blessed land.