God My Provider

In the life of Elijah, we see God’s perfect timing in meeting Elijah’s needs at exactly the right moment. We can draw assurance from this – no matter what our circumstances may be, that same God will meet our needs too.

I want to speak about the significance of God’s provision for you, and its reality.

Isaiah 6:1-4

When God speaks to an individual, He communicates who He is. Those verses in Isaiah reflect the glory, power, might and majesty of God. We saw how God brought light in complete darkness. It seemed there was no witness in the whole land.

You can trust God as your provider. You can trust Him to guide you and your family.

Ahab was the worst of the kings since Solomon. And Elijah came to him :-

1 Kings 17:1

It was a reflection of Deut 11, where it says that if you keep worshipping the true God, but if you turn against God there will be drought. Elijah said that no matter the circumstances, the God of Israel lived. It was an incredibly dramatic moment. Ahab was confronted with the reality of the living God.

In your circumstances of life, it doesn’t matter if there seems to be complete darkness around you. It doesn’t matter what the economic climate is. Our God is alive, and He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. He’s alive.
Elijah left things at that.

1 Kings 17:2-5

It wasn’t that Elijah was told to continue in some public office, to remain with Ahab. He said what he had to say, and then he was told to go. Sometimes in your life, it would seem you can’t figure out why God is guiding you in a particular way. Elijah was obedient according to the Word of God. He went. This was particularly peculiar. God was to use ravens. These were unclean, but God was going to use them.

Luke 12:24

Jesus refers to the ravens too.

Here Elijah goes to the brook :-

1 Kings 17:6-7

Here he is by the brook, getting food from the ravens. And then the water provided by God dried up. “Have I missed God’s way? Did I get it wrong? Why has the brook dried up?” When God leads us, He does so step by step. We don’t know ten steps ahead of time. He knows each step. And as we take each step, the next one becomes apparent. If we turn in on ourselves, and blame God for the fact that we haven’t been told the whole way, and we become bitter against Him, we have problems. He’s our provider. “Did God bring me here? Yes, I know He brought me here. I know I’m in the place He wants me to be.”
At exactly the right point in time, the Word of God comes again.

1 Kings 17:8-9

In v9 “sustain thee”; in v4 “feed thee” – same word. God’s commands are real. His provisions are real. If you have lost your job, your God is your provider, and He does provide. There is no recession in heaven, no misfiring of God’s plan for your life.

When the brook dried up, he stayed put, because God had told him to be there. And then the word came. He was to go 100 miles northwest to the coast again. “I’ve commanded a widow to provide for you.”

1 Kings 17:10-11

She was on the way to get the water, and he called out for bread. And it shocked her, because she was down to the last bit.

1 Kings 17:12

God’s timing is perfect. Our attitude to the circumstances of our lives has to be right. God isn’t making a mistake with you. He hasn’t brought you here and is now leaving you to wither. Not at all!

1 Kings 17:13

There’s an interesting thought. Sort things out with God first, and then sort out yourself and your son.

1 Kings 17:14

Jesus referred to this time :-

Luke 4:25

Three years and six months there was drought. The introduction to this woman required her to organise the right priorities in her heart. “Make me a cake first, and then make for you and your son. And if you do that, the barrel of meal and the cruse of oil will not fail.”

1 Kings 17:15-16

Three years and six months is a long time. God’s economy and timing and planning is perfect. And He sees things on a timescale of eternity.

Some of you are weighing up big things. I want to confirm to you that Jesus Christ is your provider, and that according to His word He is guiding you.

At the same time that Elijah went to the brook and was told to move on to the woman ... during that period, there was another prophet in the land – Obadiah.

1 Kings 18:4

Why didn’t God send Elijah to be with these other prophets? It would have been much easier to be with other people of like mind. But God’s pathway for him wasn’t to be with them, but to be elsewhere, knowing and learning God’s provision.

Elsewhere we know there were 7000 other people of like mind – and Elijah didn’t meet one of them. But He met with God, and learnt the provision of God. Are you doing that too? God is organising your circumstances so that you will prove His provision for you.

The widow was so grateful. She knew that drought was across the whole country, and here she was with the man who told her God would provide. But then this happened ...

1 Kings 17:17

And now we see what is in the woman’s heart ...

1 Kings 17:18

In those times, the automatic assumption was that if something went wrong, it was because of sin. Maybe she used to worship Baal and felt that perhaps she hadn’t fully turned.

How’s it going in your life? When you’re looking back over the last three years and six months? He’s our loving heavenly Father.

“How come this has happened, Elijah? Things were going so well. I was anticipating seeing my son grow up.” Elijah doesn’t actually answer her :-

He’d got to know him. He’d seen the boy grow up.

1 Kings 17:21-24

Some of you here are finding things difficult – you’re wondering, “Has God heard my prayer? Does He know the way forward? Will He find that job for me? Will He make provision for my children? How am I going to fulfil the abilities God has given me in His kingdom?”

Psalm 34:9-10

Hebrews 10:23

God is your provider. He is the one who loves you. Let us hold fast to our faith, without getting into conversations which are so contrary to what you know to be true in your heart.

I want to encourage you – with us before God – you can look up into His face and you can know right now that He is faithful who promised. He loves you. And whichever way God is guiding in your life, I want you to know that the Word of God is secure and true.