GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU

Sermon Notes, July 19, 2015

Rev. Gary O’Shell

Rev. O’Shell spoke from 1 Kings 17:1-10, the story of Elijah being fed by ravens after telling the king there would be no rain until he said so. 

Elijah was a man on a mission: a three-fold mission that applies to us today.

1.      To live for the Lord, everywhere all the time.  We are to be salt and light. 

2.      To speak for God.  Not our frustrations, but to live and speak for Him in our daily life.

3.      To be surrendered to Him.  What is our mission today? Him, or self? He put us here to be His witnesses.

God gives Elijah power.  He tells him to go to the brook—“Trust me” to take care of you.  He is God the Provider.  “I’ve commanded the ravens. . .”  Have you noticed the increasing enmity against God’s kingdom today?  Will you believe He will take care of you because He has spoken it?  Your belief will be tested—maybe it already is being tested.  Do you believe it?  Look to the Lord for everything.

The brook dries up.  Elijah probably thought, “Okay, Lord.  What now?”  It was a test for Elijah.  He waited for God.  He didn’t try to make it rain, or to change things.  In effect, Elijah said, “I’m not going to make a move without God’s direction.”  Do we live like that?

God commands a widow in Zaraphath to take care of Elijah.  He says to us, “When you trust me I’ll provide.”  The widow trusted, and God took care of her and her son as she took care of Elijah.  When we get in trouble is when we manufacture solutions instead of trusting God.  Look at Abraham—his “solution” to his aging childlessness produced Ishmael, when God’s solution was Isaac; and their descendents are still fighting to this day.

We’re seeing darkness increase.  We don’t need to fear.  We need to trust God to take care of us. What area of your life has dried up?  Relationships, emotions, spirituality?   Look at what He can do with what we have.  He works with ‘not enough’ to make it ‘plenty.  He has unlimited riches.