The verse anchor
"And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook."
1 Kings 17:6 · King James Bible
The story
There was a great prophet in Israel named Elijah. In his days, the king of Israel was a wicked man named Ahab, and the queen was even worse — her name was Jezebel. They had turned the people of Israel away from the Lord to worship a false god called Baal.
Elijah went to King Ahab and said, "As the Lord God of Israel liveth, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word."
And it was so. The rain stopped. Month after month, no rain fell. The crops died in the fields. The streams dried up. There was a great famine in the land.
King Ahab was furious with Elijah. He wanted to hunt him down.
But God took care of Elijah. God said, "Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan." And God gave him a strange promise: "I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there."
So Elijah went and hid by the little brook Cherith. It was hard to reach. Nobody could find him there.
Every morning, black birds came flying — ravens. They carried bread and meat in their beaks. They set the food down beside Elijah and flew away. Every evening, they came back with more food. And Elijah drank from the little brook.
God fed his prophet with ravens — the very birds people thought were dirty and useless. God will use anything he wants to.
When the brook itself dried up, God sent Elijah on to a widow's house. And even the widow's little jar of flour and drop of oil did not run out for many days — because the Lord had said, "The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail."
God took care of Elijah every single day.
One thing we learn
God is not limited by what makes sense to us. He can send bread by ravens. He can make a little jar of flour last for weeks. Trust him. He knows how to feed his children.
Memory verse
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:19 · KJV
Say it three times before bed. In seven days you will know it forever.
A prayer
Thank you, God, that you fed Elijah by the brook.
Thank you that you take care of me, too.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Amen.
Beneath the story · for grown-ups
To walk further with the household: