The Raven

Photo courtesy of DB McNicol via Pixabay

The raven, sleek and black, has always been depicted as a bird of ill omen, death and evil.  Yet, we see a different picture of this bird in the Bible.  God used ravens to feed his prophet, Elijah during the famine in Israel.  He sent Elijah to Kerith brook, east of the Jordan, instructing him, “You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

At the brook, the ravens brought Elijah bread and meat in the morning and in the evening.  God provided him with food and water.

Up North, I see ravens at the side of the road, looking for food and I know that they will find it.  “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?”  “And God gives food to the young ravens that cry” (Luke 12:24; Psalm 147:9).

When I look at the raven, I don’t see evil or death but a bird which God used to provide for his servant during the hour of his need.  All creatures are useful and of great value in His sight. 

200 Words

This was written for Sunday Fiction hosted by DB McNicol.  For more info, click here.

Sources:  Wikipedia; Blue Letter Bible; Bible Gateway