Daily Bread

God tells Elijah to go to the Cherith brook and hide there. He commands ravens to feed him. Elijah and the ravens are encompassed in the same command. The prophet obeys by withdrawing and waiting; the birds obey by coming and bringing.
The man by whose word the sky was shut awaits a piece of bread.
He who carries God's word is kept alive by the obedience of wordless creatures.
At Cherith, Elijah obeys even when he receives. He does not choose his messengers.
It is easier for us to receive from the hand of a person we have already trusted. In the narrative, the bread reaches Elijah through the beak of a raven.
The ravens come morning and evening. The prophet who shut the sky does not receive a store of provisions. The gift is small, repeated, and sufficient. The next morning will find him waiting again.
The prophet is not given independence.
He is given his daily bread. The future remains in the hands of Him who feeds him.
For us, this measure of the gift can be difficult to accept. We often call a blessing that which secures our tomorrow and gives us the feeling that we control the future. At Cherith, the blessing is measured by the food that comes in due time.
Can we recognize God's help when it comes through a messenger we would not have chosen?
To recognize this help means to receive the bread without first asking for the bird to become a dove.
Fr. Ioan Gînscă