355 W South Boulder Road
Lafayette, CO 80026
Saturday: 5 PM
Sunday: 9* & 11 AM
*ASL Interpreted Service
Four weeks of live teaching about Elijah and Elisha will show kids how we can give all our worries to God, because he cares for us. Preschoolers will guess what’s being drawn in the video intro each week and see how it fits into the Bible story.
A raven.
“Give all your worries to God, because he cares for you,” 1 Peter 5:7.
How did Elijah get water in the desert? (a stream)
How did Elijah get food in the desert?(a raven)
Did God take care of Elijah? (yes)
Who will take care of you? (God)
Read: 1 Kings 17:1-6
King Ahab was the worst king Israel had ever seen. The Bible says, “Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him …,” 1 Kings 16:30. So God sent Elijah (whose name actually means “the Lord is God”) to confront him. God wanted Ahab to know that only the Lord is God. God wanted all of Israel to know the Lord is God. And God wanted Elijah, his prophet to know that the Lord would protect him, provide for him and prepare him for what was coming next.
Ahab led the Israelites away from God to worship a false idol called Baal, the god of rain. So God sent Elijah to announce that no rain, not even any dew, would fall on Israel. Elijah was not only confronting King Ahab, he was also discrediting Baal. Elijah was in a sense saying, “You and your god are fake and powerless.” It was a double hit to Ahab’s ego.
Day after day passed with no water for King Ahab and his kingdom. Day after day passed that King Ahab prayed to Baal with no answer. The god of rain sent no rain. Ahab’s panic turned to fury. His anger was aimed at Elijah. He was powerful and dangerous. But God protected Elijah by keeping him away from angry King Ahab until just the right moment. Elijah was safe in the desert. God told Elijah to hide … in the desert … completely alone.
There God also provided for Elijah. Each day, God sent ravens to bring Elijah food, and each day a small brook ran through a stream bed with enough water to keep him hydrated. It wasn’t a glamorous way to sustain life, but no doubt Elijah learned exactly who was the source of his life.
God also prepared Elijah. The desert wasn’t comfortable. It was probably miserable at times. But God was intentionally preparing Elijah for some big things, including confronting not only King Ahab, but also the prophets of Baal. Elijah needed that time in the desert to remember and have confidence in exactly who God was: the one, true, powerful God.
In the desert times of our lives, it may be easier to focus on what God is NOT doing rather than what he IS doing.
Are you in a desert? Look for the ravens and the brook. How is God providing for you?
Do you see ways he is protecting you? Do you believe he is preparing you?