You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there. I Kings 17:4
I had a very bad week. It began with taking our seventeen-year-old cat to the vet because she had stopped eating and started hiding in the closet. I hoped the vet would give her medication, and she would soon be back to herself. Instead, after the vet gave her a checkup and felt a “mass,” she recommended an ultrasound. We waited in the exam room for the results. When the vet returned, she spoke words, but all I heard was “cancer.” She showed us the X-rays and explained that our cat would not recover and would only continue to suffer.
We had to make the hard decision to have her put down. Our sweet kitty looked at us with such hopeful wide blue eyes, not realizing it was her last hours on the earth. It broke me.
At the same time, I was launching a new website with my niece, Destany, an engaging and relatable writer. For the past seven months, Destany and I had worked on it with a trusted tech friend, but the site kept running into technical problems. After spending $800 to fix the issues and get it up and running—on top of struggles in other areas of my life—despair soon reared its ugly head.
Who was it that said, “when it rains, it pours”? Probably Noah. I had situations I couldn’t resolve, and a cloud of gloom fell over me.
I asked Jerry— (my husband, for those of you new to my blog)—to pray that the gloom would lift. “Of course,” he said. But I did not feel better after his prayer. Oddly, an image of ravens came to mind. Glossy black with curved beaks, ravens soared in my mind. I remembered the story in 1 Kings 17, when Elijah hid in a ravine, fearing for his life, and God sent ravens to bring him food. Their visits must have comforted Elijah as he wondered what meal they would bring next—perhaps pizza from Domino’s, or maybe Chateaubriand, carrying flaming steak in their beaks.
I wondered, where are the ravens coming to comfort me? All of a sudden, the thought came to me. I have much to be thankful for: my family, my friends, my health, my new coffeemaker. Even though I have loss and frustration right now, I have good things in my life.
I soon felt uplifted because gratitude lifts our spirit. Is it possible metaphorical ravens just brought me comfort with thoughts of gratitude?
Was God sending me a message?
I think so.
ßω♥
“A Quiet Hope” by Becca Burns. (my artist niece)
The skull symbolizes how fragile our life is. And the raven reminds us how faithful God is.