It was in India, and the mission staff were getting ready to reopen the hospital the next day. The lady doctor had suggested to her assistant that she prepare a lunch, so she baked some bread and made a meatloaf.
The next day, after working hard all morning, they went out on the porch to sit and eat their lunch. The assistant unpacked the meatloaf and went inside for a moment. While her back was turned, a large raven swooped down, snatched up the meatloaf and flew away with it!
The ladies thought that was the end of it, but three days later a poor Hindu woman came to the hospital and asked to see the doctor. She wanted to learn about the Christian’s God. She told her that three days before she and her children were starving. Not knowing what to do, she decided to call on the gods to help her, so she knelt down with her children and prayed to all the gods she knew, one after the other. After each prayer she waited to see if the food would come, but none came.
Then she remembered she had heard of One whom they called the Christian’s God. She knew nothing about him, but she thought she would make a prayer to Him anyway. Just then while she was praying, a large bird swooped down and dropped a meatloaf alongside of her! And it was to learn about this wonderful God she had come.
How thrilled the doctor was to tell of the God who fed Elijah the prophet, and who had sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world. They were thrilled too, to learn why this loving God had allowed their lunch to disappear in such a disappointing way.
If you would like to read the story of how the ravens brought Elijah meat morning and evening, turn to 1 Kings, chapter 17.
ML-11/20/1977