Sermon: The Faithful Are Never Forsaken (1 Kings 17:2-7)
Category Archives: Sermons
Sermon: Standing in the Gap (1 Kings 17:1)
God Will Send His Ravens | Bible Gleanings – January 20-21, 2024
A German boy and his mother were in a perilous predicament in the dead of winter. Their food and firewood were running out, leaving them famished and freezing. And suddenly, the woman’s son swiftly slung the door open, ushering in the suffocating cold air. “My son,” she gasped, “why are you opening the door on such a cold night?” The youngster, familiar with the biblical story of Elijah being miraculously fed by ravens, said with conviction, “Mother, it’s for the ravens.”
Do you remember that awe-inspiring account of God’s powerful provision? The Lord assured Elijah that He would meet his needs if he stepped out in faith to live in the wilderness east of the Jordan (1 Kings 17:2-4). The Lord promised that Elijah would drink from the brook and be fed by the ravens. And that’s precisely what occurred: “And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook” (1 Kings 17:6). The Lord of creation used winged birds to care for Elijah because he had taken refuge under His wings (Psalm 91:4). God rewarded Elijah’s firm faith with faithful provision.
And the boy with childlike faith was likewise honored with miraculous provision. The mayor of the snowy village was walking around that frigid night to check on the residents, and he was shocked to see a little cottage with an open door. He went to investigate and the mother explained that they were waiting on God to send His ravens. The concerned mayor then remarked, “I will be your raven, both now and ever.” And he provided them with food and warmth.
Whether you are in dire straits like this German family or standing alone for the truth like Elijah, you can be certain that God will provide for you when you trust His word and remain faithful to it. When you devote yourself to the Lord—no matter how hard it may be—the ravens will always arrive on time. When you put the Lord first, He will meet your needs according to His riches in glory (Matt. 6:33; Phil. 4:19). The faithful are never forsaken. The holy are wholly cared for by the Lord.
And this is the trustworthy testimony of Scripture. As David exclaimed, “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25). He also declared, “Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:9-10). “For the LORD God is a sun and shield,” proclaimed another psalmist, “the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). Will you open the door with arms of faith to let the ravens in?
Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.
Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).
For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:
Sermon: The Child Who Crushed the Devil (Gen. 3:15)
Sermon: All Things New (Revelation 21:5-8)
Guard Your Heart | Bible Gleanings – August 12-13, 2023
I stooped down to strain water from the stream. I filled my filter with the creek’s crystal clear hydration, and went to work. I know better than to drink unfiltered water when backpacking, no matter how clean it appears to be. Unseen bacteria and microscopic debris can cause infections and ailments when ingested, and a strong filter is required for making water in the outdoors drinkable. But, as I collected the water, I glanced to the right and noticed an unforeseen bacterial threat: my dog squatting in the stream and releasing a stream of her own.
I was sure that the sanitizing filter would sterilize the water, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I could have even waited until the yellow toxin passed by, but the water source was no longer “number one” in my opinion. Foreign chemicals were introduced to it, and it was a “wee” too contaminated. Therefore, I strolled up the stream to a sparkling spring, and hydrated myself there instead. And, every backpacking trip since then, my dog must wait on the bank so I may filter water with a peace of mind.
I was reminded in that moment of the wise words written by Solomon: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov. 4:23). According to Solomon, the heart is like a gushing spring. The fountain of the heart naturally flows into our lives and the lives of others, just as a spring naturally flows into the forest to nourish vegetation and animals. And thus, the spring of the heart must be clean, for if it is polluted, contamination will gush into our life and the lives of everyone around us. Therefore, the believer must guard the heart “with all vigilance,” and pay close attention to what goes into the heart, since whatever goes in will inevitably come out.
As Charles H. Spurgeon once remarked, “We must keep our hearts pure; for if the heart be not pure, the life can not be pure. Whence come our carnality, covetousness, pride, sloth, and unbelief? Are they not all to be traced to the corruption of our hearts?” This is what Jesus taught, too. He cautioned, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45; cf. Matt. 15:18-19).
That is why David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10, KJV). We must pray for this also, and we must keep a close eye on what enters our hearts. When sin does—whether from the flesh, the world, or the devil—our hearts are polluted. But, when Scripture does, our hearts are purified (John 17:17; Eph. 5:26).
Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.
Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).
For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:
Fear the Lord | Bible Gleanings – March 18-19, 2023
Watching the roaring of the Niagara Falls with a healthy regard and respect for its immense power is what we might call regular fear. It is entirely natural to feel this way about something so immensely powerful. Staying far away from New York for fear of accidentally falling into the torrent is an unhealthy anxiety, what we may call ruinous fear. It is unnatural to be paralyzed by fear for no rational reason. However, gazing in amazement at the falls while simultaneously recognizing your own frailty is what we would call reverential fear; it is perceiving both the magnificence of the falls and your own smallness—and standing in awe as a result.
And that kind of reverential awe is precisely what God expects when He calls us to fear Him (cf. Psalm 33:8; Eccl. 12:13; Luke 1:50). He doesn’t want us to be crippled by deleterious terror, the way a slave cringes before his master. Rather, the Lord desires that we possess and express a holy fear of His greatness and grandeur. It is a fear produced from understanding the supremacy of God and the sinfulness of man. Such reverential fear says, “Lord, I revere You because You are holy, righteous, and good—and I am not.”
It is the fear Isaiah felt when he beheld a glimpse of God’s glory. He cried out, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5). He fell in prostration before the Lord because he understood the gravity of his sin and the greatness of God’s holiness. It is the awe Peter felt when he witnessed the boundless power of Christ: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8b). It is the fear that the first church experienced when they watched God slay Ananias and Sapphira for telling a little white lie: “And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things” (Acts 5:11).
Such fear is the essence of wisdom—indeed, it is the very first step toward living wisely. As Solomon said, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7a). This is because fearing God is a mentality that understands both the foolishness of living in sin and the worthiness of living in obedience. That’s why Solomon also said, “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death” (Prov. 14:17). A life of fearing God is truly the best life you can live: “The fear of the LORD leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm” (Proverbs 19:23).
Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.
Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).
For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:
Sermon: The King In My Place (Mark 15:1-15)
Sermon: The Battle of Armageddon, Part 1 (Revelation 16:12-16)
Sermon: A Fishy Prayer (Jonah 1:17-2:10)
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