Will God provide what I need? We’ve all wrestled with the question—and not abstractly. It can provoke real fear and real pain.
I’m convinced, though, that the Bible contains rich resources in an unlikely story:
Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” And the word of the LORD came to him: “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. (1 Kings 17:1–7)
The story takes place during Ahab’s reign in Israel. Ahab was a bad dude (1 Kings 16:30). He officially replaced the true God of Israel with a poser called Baal. He then turned the people’s hearts toward this false god—until God raised up a prophet to turn their hearts back to himself. God showed his power over Baal by cutting off the water supply and telling Elijah to leave home and wait for provision in a brook.
There Elijah was enrolled in the seminary of affliction. His training didn’t center on giving better prophetic speeches or growing a bigger ministry. Instead, God told Elijah to trust him, leading him with a simple promise: “I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” And each day, that’s exactly what he did.
As God’s children, we too can have great confidence that he will care for our needs. Here are four ways to grow your trust in his faithful provision.
1. Rest in God’s promises.
The Lord won’t always care for you in the same way he cares for others, nor will he always care for you in ways he has in the past. But he will care for you.
Jesus tells us,
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? . . . But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matt. 6:26, 33)
Or as Paul puts it, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).
The ravens were cared for by God so they could care for Elijah. And God will also care for you if you’re his child.
2. Remember God’s past faithfulness.
God taught Elijah to trust early in his ministry. I wonder how often he later thought back to his days with the ravens and was encouraged to trust God afresh. How has God provided for you in the past? How has he shown faithfulness in days gone by? Have you considered them recently?
This lesson is essential because there will be days when divine provisions appear to cease. Elijah experienced this when the “brook dried up” (1 Kings 17:7). God doesn’t train his children to trust him in just one situation; he often changes our circumstances to teach us to trust him in new ways.
God doesn’t train his children to trust him in just one situation; he often changes our circumstances to teach us to trust him in new ways.
So when you face the uncertainties of tomorrow, summon your heart to rest in your memories of God’s faithfulness. Write down ways he’s been faithful to you. Mark those moments and share them with others—then invite them to share their own memories of his faithfulness. Encourage one another to remember our God is always faithful.
3. Be ready for God’s peculiar provisions.
Elijah was homeless in a gorge with birds bringing him scraps from who knows where. That’s weird. Why did God send him to a ditch with a stream rather than to the mighty Jordan River? And why the ravens—unclean scavengers? Surely it was the last way a Jewish prophet would’ve suspected provision to come. But isn’t that like our God? He often puts us in peculiar situations so he can be glorified in his peculiar supply. Elijah never missed a meal in the valley. And through that peculiar provision, God taught his servant that he would care for him without fail.
When you feel hemmed in and see no way your needs will be met, remember that God always keeps his promises—even if in peculiar ways.
4. Rejoice in God’s present provision.
In your current struggle, be careful not to overlook the “tables” the Lord has spread before you now. Don’t push his plate of grace aside to make room for worry. “Do not be anxious about tomorrow,” Jesus said, “for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matt. 6:34).
Are you rejoicing for the provision he’s given today, or are you fixated on what you fear you’ll lack tomorrow? God may not give us everything we want, but he always gives us what we need. He promises daily bread, not daily bounty. Yes, sometimes he gives both, but often we must travel through dark valleys before entering green pastures.
Are you rejoicing for the provision he’s given today, or are you fixated on what you fear you’ll lack tomorrow?
Elijah didn’t get chubby in that valley outside Jerusalem. His pockets weren’t getting full. His prophetic portfolio wasn’t improving. But his faith was being made strong. Each time his belly growled, his heart was being trained to say, in faith, The ravens are coming, the ravens are coming.
When we’re tempted to doubt the Father’s faithfulness, we need not look further than his provision of Jesus Christ. All God’s gifts of grace are intended, like bread crumbs, to lead us down a path to a hill called Calvary, where we see this ultimate gift—the Son who lived, died, and rose to give us eternal life. In him, we have an ironclad promise that one day we’ll be in that place where the river never runs dry because it flows from the throne of the Almighty (Rev. 22:1–2).
The Gospel Coalition