Consider the Ravens (9-22-11)

Luke 12:24-26 - "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; and they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single cubit to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why are you anxious about other matters?"

Consider the ravens. In this discourse Jesus is telling His disciples not to be anxious for anything. In a parallel passage in Matthew 6 He says - "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single cubit to his life's span?" God doesn't want us to worry about anything, even food. Of course, food is a necessary part of life, but God wants us to trust Him to provide it for us because He will provide it for us. He told us to consider the birds. Birds need food and water to live just like we do, and God provides it for them. Can we not trust Him to do the same and more for us? Does He not love us more than the birds? Jesus said in Matthew 10:29-31 - "Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows."God promises that He will feed us, just as He feeds all of His creatures. The Psalmist says in Psalm 145:15-16 - "The eyes of all look to Thee, and Thou dost give them their food in due time. Thou dost open Thy hand and dost satisfy the desire of every living thing." 

I find it interesting that when the Lord told us to consider the birds, in one of the gospel accounts He identifies a specific kind of bird. He says "Consider the ravens." The ravens don't worry about where their next meal will come from and neither should we. You'll remember another place in scripture where it talks about ravens, only rather than talking about how God provides for the ravens, in this place it talks about God using the ravens to provide for His servant. I'm referring of course to the story of Elijah, found in 1 Kings 17:1-6 which says - "Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” And the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. And it shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which 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 would drink from the brook." Isn't that amazing? This is a true story, it isn't some fairy tale with some hidden meaning. It's factual history. God provided food for Elijah in a miraculous way. Every morning and every evening the ravens would bring him his food. What the Lord told Elijah to do didn't seem very practical. The land was entering into a drought and so he is commanded to go and live by a brook. That will provide for his need for water, but what about his need for food? A mans gotta eat. The Lord wouldn't allow His servant to go hungry. As Elijah was living in obedience to the Word of the Lord and doing the work that God commanded him to do, the Lord declared that He had commanded the ravens to bring him food. Consider the ravens. God feeds them, and you are far more important to God than any bird. He'll provide for you. He may even use the birds to do it, but He will provide. Elijah was the servant of the Lord. He was seeking the Lords will and doing the Lords work, and the Lord provided for Him. And that's exactly what the Lord wants from us. Rather than worrying about our next meal, He wants us to seek His kingdom and do His work, without being distracted with the trivial things of this world.

Matthew 6:32-33 - "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."