The Children's Chapel Award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids. ~ A Ministry of The Missing Link, Inc. ~ Elijah Part 1: Fed by a Raven Text Version by Linda Sue Pochodzay Edwards "Hey Elijah, let's race!" "Well okay, but you know I'm going to win!" "Not this time! I've been practicing! I'm going to win!" With that, the race was on. What fun they had running and playing in the dusty roads in Israel! Then they heard a woman's voice: "Elijah! ELIJAH! It's time to come inside." "OH! Why do you have to go in? Why can't you stay and play a little longer?" the other boys questioned. "It's almost the Sabbath. It's time for me to get prepared to go to the temple to worship God tomorrow. I enjoy it so much. It is so exciting. I wouldn't miss it for anything!" "Which god do you worship?" one of the boys asked. "My God is Jehovah!" Elijah replied with a grin. "In fact, that is what my name means. My - God - is - Jehovah." "My family worships Baal." "At my house, we worship Ashtoreth. You just wouldn't believe some of the things that happen over on the hill where the idol of Ashtoreth is set up." "We worship Molech, but I don't really like it much. It is too scary." "Well, I am glad that my God is Jehovah, and I get to go to the temple tomorrow!" Then they heard the voice again: "Elijah, you MUST come in now. Dinner is ready and you need to clean up. There is much that needs to be done." Many years passed and Elijah grew to be a strong man. He also grew strong in the Lord. He never forgot the meaning of his name. Elijah noticed how sinful and wicked Israel had become. He noticed all the idols of false gods that were being placed around the country. He became sad and angry that more and more people were worshipping these idols instead of Jehovah, the one true God. Elijah thought and thought. He prayed and prayed. Then one day he knew exactly what he had to do. Elijah prepared to go to the palace to see the king. He packed the things he thought he needed and got his donkey ready. At last the time came, and he was on his way. It wasn't an easy journey. Riding a donkey on the dirt path wasn't much fun. Sometimes it seemed easier to get down and walk along beside the donkey! On and on they traveled, leaving a cloud of dust behind. Along the way, many thoughts entered Elijah's mind. King Ahab was a wicked king who did not worship God Jehovah. He even helped set up some of the idols of the false gods. Would King Ahab want to see him? Would the king believe what he had to say? What if the king became angry? Elijah didn't let these thoughts deter him. He continued on until, right before his eyes, the palace appeared. Seeing the palace made him excited and anxious to get inside and see the king. He tied his donkey to a post and quickly brushed the dust off his clothes. He found water nearby and had himself a drink. He rushed passed the guards explaining that he had urgent business with the king. Up the steps and down the long hallway he went. Turning a corner, he heard the voices of many people and knew that very soon he would be face to face with King Ahab. The moment had arrived. Elijah was now standing before King Ahab. He opened his mouth and said these words: "As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word." Then - he turned and walked away. "Who is that man?" the king asked angrily. "Who does he think he is? Does he really think he has the power to control the rain? How foolish! No rain until I say so," he taunted. "HMMPH! I don't think we have anything to worry about," he said with a snicker. "No HUMAN can decide whether or not it is going to rain!" The crowd began to sneer and laugh at Elijah as he was heading back down the hallway. However, he didn't let it bother him. He knew he had accomplished his purpose for the day. Elijah unhitched his donkey from the post and was preparing for his return trip home. He heard a voice and turned to look, but there was no one there. Elijah realized he was hearing the voice of the Lord. God was telling him to turn toward the east and hide near the Cherith Brook. God knew that wicked King Ahab would become very angry with Elijah and would try to find him to do him harm. Elijah would have good water to drink from the brook, but what would he do for food? God knew Elijah would need food and already had a plan. He told Elijah that the ravens would come every day to feed him. It surely sounded strange, but Elijah believed God. He knew God would provide for all his needs so he did exactly what God told him. He turned east and went to the Cherith Brook. Then he settled down on the soft grass to rest for the night. When morning came, Elijah was pretty hungry. He was ready for breakfast. He heard the sound of flapping wings above his head and looked up. There it was! The raven! It had something in its mouth! Bread! The raven brought bread and dropped it right beside Elijah. Sometimes the raven brought bread; sometimes it brought pieces of meat. As long as Elijah stayed near the brook, he never had to worry about having food to eat. The ravens brought him two meals every day, just as God had promised. Elijah thought about his own name. He was so glad to say "My God is Jehovah!" * * * THINK! 1. What does the Bible say about idols and false gods? (Exodus 20: 3-5) 2. Why was King Ahab angry with Elijah? 3. Did Elijah have power to stop the rain? 4. How did God care for Elijah? 5. What is the meaning of Elijah's name? BIBLE MEMORY VERSE "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7). ALTERNATIVE VERSES TO LEARN "His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3a). "...be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15b). PRACTICAL APPLICATION Are you willing to trust God for everything you need to live a godly life? For example, have you ever felt you just had to speak to someone about God? Did you trust God to give you courage, wisdom and love to speak to them? [After discussion:] God says in his word that we should always be ready to talk to people about Him. Getting ready includes getting to know God by reading his Word and praying to Him like Elijah did. Ask God to give you opportunities to talk to your friends about God's love for them. LET'S PRAY **************************************************** Dear God, I thank you that you love and care for me. I don't want to ever love anything or anyone more than I love you. I pray that you will help me to obey you and always live for you. Amen. **************************************************** CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE? 1 Kings 17: 1-6 * * * JUST FOR FUN UNSCRAMBLE THESE WORDS FROM THE STORY bhAa hhoevaJ nKgi slreIa hjEial kroBo hrhtieC Make a Bird Puppet Pictures Courtesy of Free Bible Images ----------------------------------------------------------------- BIBLE STORY ARCHIVE http://childrenschapel.org/bibstory2.html REPORT A BROKEN LINK The Children\'s Chapel award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids ----------------------------------------------------------------- Free Bible Stories! To receive a new Bible story each week, enter your e-mail address under "Subscribe..." at tscpulpitseries.cis.to/mailman/listinfo/stories You will be sent a message requesting confirmation of your subscription request. IMPORTANT! YOU MUST REPLY to this confirmation request to activate your subscription to this list. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 2023 - Children's Chapel Northeast Ohio, U.S.A. You may NOT re-post this Bible story. However, you may freely link to it, provided visitors can see our web address when they click on the link. TOP OF THE PAGE Webmaster www.childrenschapel.org Last updated June 23, 2023 Welcome! http://childrenschapel.org/welcome.html What's Here http://misslink.org/childin.html Bible Stories http://childrenschapel.org/bibstory2.html E-Mail Us online@misslink.org Around the Piano http://childrenschapel.org/pianokid.html 4 Things http://childrenschapel.org/fourkid.html Events http://childrenschapel.org/kidevent.html Children's Chapel http://childrenschapel.org Adult Chapel http://misslink.org/chapel2.html Missing Link http://misslink.org/index.html Links http://childrenschapel.org/kidlink.html Resources http://childrenschapel.org/resource.html