Part 3 and Jam

In that desert God was teaching Elijah to depend on Him for everything. There was no absolute certainty in God's provisions except through faith and trust. Did Elijah breathe a sign of relief each morning and evening when he saw the birds coming with bread and meat? Did the sound of the brook's babbling give him comfort each day. Was the blessing he prayed at his meals truly the prayer of a desperately thankful man, or a fearful one? Fearful of the silence of that brook and the disappearance of those ravens. We are not given those insights into Elijah's emotions during that time, only evidence of God's faithful provision through each day He told Elijah to stay in that desert. I have to ask myself, am I truly thankful because I have faith and trust in God's provision, or am I fearful that He might not come through?
Another thing God was teaching Elijah about was his place in the cosmic order of things; about Elijah's power and importance. Without God's provision, Elijah would have died. He would have been nothing, because he was nothing. It wasn't until Elijah really knew he was nothing, that he became useful to God. It wasn't until he knew that he was just the same as that dried up brook- dead, unless supplied by a new water source. It couldn't be just any water source, it would be just as subject to contamination, but with a Living Water source, it would never go dry and it would always be pure. It was at this point that Elijah knew that God was all he really had and all he truly needed.
When we realize this, we become owners of the greatest wealth in the universe. Apart from Christ, we are nothing, but through Him, we can do all things!

On that last note, I made strawberry jam tonight! I have never done it before. It still has to cool and refrigerate, but licks of the spoon yielded positive reviews!