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
At an early age, Vanessa learned to love hash browns with catsup. She lived just next door to us, and as soon as she learned how to dial my number, she would often call and ask if I had any hash browns. I kept the frozen kind on hand, and I would make her some when she called. While they were browning, she would dress and hurry over to eat. I miss that. Now that she is older, she doesn’t eat hash browns, because they would add pounds!
One morning especially stands out in my mind. She called and I assured her I would make her hash browns. I always had them on hand just for her. When they were ready, if she hadn’t arrived, I would call. This time she was dressed but busy, and could I “bring them over?” I agreed, and had to hang up to smother the laugh. So I was doing “take out!”
Elijah must have been the very first “take out” customer. When he fled from wicked King Ahab, God placed him by a running brook of cool water, and had the ravens feed him. Since a raven is a scavenger bird that gets his food from the carcasses of dead animals, we can only speculate how Elijah’s meal arrived. But the meals were sent by God, and Elijah was sustained by them.
God has promised in His Word to feed us on “the finest of the wheat” (Psalm 81:16). If we are faithful and follow Him, we will eat the good of the land. Our continual feasting will come from a variety of sources if we are actively seeking God. Reading the Bible is a direct method of ingesting this feast. Careful and thoughtful reading with prayer increases the food value of each verse. Morsels we didn’t know were there will become more obvious. Every church service we attend is another valuable source of spiritual nourishment, which again depends on how open we are to God’s Spirit. The hungry heart is more appreciative of spiritual food. The songs, testimonies, sermon, and prayer services also feed our souls, and we can be fed by the comments of those we come in contact with, whether intentionally or not. Our choice of music, reading material, and thought patterns also can help to round out this feast if chosen carefully.
God reserves the best for His children. If we are open and receptive to the spiritual nourishment He makes available, we can expect the best from our Heavenly Father.