With the Same Drought

1 Kings 17:7 But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land. The prophet Elijah confronted King Ahab and told him that God was going to stop the rain for the next few years until Elijah prayed for the rain to return. Because of the drought, God sent Elijah to a brook where a raven would bring him food to eat. Although it was a supernatural miracle from God, it isn't the way I would have wanted it if I had the choice. Eating from the mouth of a raven, and drinking from the creek doesn't seem like the blessings of God, but it was. You see God was teaching His rebellious people something, and he was teaching his faithful prophet something with the same drought. For Israel, they would soon realize that by turning from God, they were turning from their provider. They would also come to know that God was jealous, and He loved them enough to hold back blessings in order to open their eyes. For Elijah, he would come to know that God could sustain him, even while everyone else around him was perishing and drying up. He would see that God was a righteous judge, and He could still take care of His faithful few, even in the midst of judgement for the wicked. And when the brook that was keeping him alive dried up, God had even more to teach him. When we are hard pressed and pressured by the ways of this evil world, and when the actions of others cause our lives to be negatively affected, Lord help us to remain teachable.