SPEAKER_00: There's a question that almost every person asks at some point in their life.
SPEAKER_00: Is God really taking care of me?
SPEAKER_00: Is he really there?
SPEAKER_00: We basket when we're worried about our health.
SPEAKER_00: We we ask it when finances are tight.
SPEAKER_00: We ask it when our children are struggling, when our marriage is in trouble, we ask it when our prayers seem to go unanswered.
SPEAKER_00: How do I know God is taking care of me?
SPEAKER_00: The first reading gives us a remarkable answer.
SPEAKER_00: Elijah has just confronted King Ahab.
SPEAKER_00: He has spoken God's truth and a culture that no longer wanted to hear it.
SPEAKER_00: Because of Israel's unfaithfulness, a drought is coming upon the land.
SPEAKER_00: Now think about Elijah's situation.
SPEAKER_00: He is alone.
SPEAKER_00: He has no army, he has no resources, he has no visible support system.
SPEAKER_00: And what does God do?
SPEAKER_00: Well, God sends him to a hidden stream in the wilderness and tells him, I have commanded ravens to feed you there.
SPEAKER_00: Every morning and every evening the birds bring him food.
SPEAKER_00: It's one of the strangest miracles in the Bible.
SPEAKER_00: But it teaches us an important lesson.
SPEAKER_00: God often provides in ways we never would have imagined.
SPEAKER_00: If Elijah had written the script, he probably would have chosen a wealthy benefactor, a comfortable home, or a miraculous stockpile of food.
SPEAKER_00: Instead, God uses ravens.
SPEAKER_00: In other words, God is saying to Elijah, trust me, I can provide for you in ways that are beyond your imagination.
SPEAKER_00: I think many of us miss God's providence because we're looking for it in the wrong places.
SPEAKER_00: We expect God to work according to our plans, but God often has a different plan.
SPEAKER_00: Looking back over our lives, most of us can identify moments when God opened a door we never expected, introduced us to the right person at the right time, protected us from something we didn't even see, or provided exactly what we needed when we thought we had reached the end of the road.
SPEAKER_00: The Christian life is filled with ravens, unexpected ways that God feeds us, guides us, and sustains us.
SPEAKER_00: Now, if we turn to the gospel, Jesus goes up to the mountain and begins teaching what we call the Beatitudes.
SPEAKER_00: The Beatitudes are among the most beautiful teachings in all of Scripture, but they are also among the most misunderstood.
SPEAKER_00: Many people think Jesus is simply praising suffering.
SPEAKER_00: He's not.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is teaching us what true blessedness looks like.
SPEAKER_00: The word blessed can also be translated as happy or fortunate, but not happy in the way the world understands happiness.
SPEAKER_00: The world says happiness comes from getting what I want.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says happiness comes from becoming who God created me to be.
SPEAKER_00: The world says, blessed are the rich.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says, blessed are the poor in spirit.
SPEAKER_00: The world says, blessed are the powerful.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says, blessed are the meek.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is trying to redefine success.
SPEAKER_00: And notice something important.
SPEAKER_00: The Beatitudes are not primarily rules, they are descriptions of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus was poor in spirit because he depended completely on the Father.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus mourned over sin and suffering.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus was meek and humble apart.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus was merciful to sinners.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus was persecuted and ultimately crucified.
SPEAKER_00: The Beatitudes are a portrait of Christ, and therefore they are a portrait of what every Christian is called to become.
SPEAKER_00: All the saints understood this.
SPEAKER_00: When we think of the saints, we often focus on the extraordinary things that they did.
SPEAKER_00: But the reason they became saints is because they lived the Beatitudes.
SPEAKER_00: So these beatitudes are meant for us.
SPEAKER_00: And perhaps that is what today's two readings come together.
SPEAKER_00: Elijah teaches us trust in God's providence.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus teaches us what the trust should produce.
SPEAKER_00: Because when we trust God, we become less attached to ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: We become more merciful, more humble, peaceful, dependent on God, more like Christ.
SPEAKER_00: So perhaps today each of us can ask two simple questions.
SPEAKER_00: First, where have I seen God's ravens in my life?
SPEAKER_00: Where has God provided for me in ways I never expected?
SPEAKER_00: And second, which beatitude do I most need to grow in right now?
SPEAKER_00: Because God is still providing.
SPEAKER_00: God is still feeding his people, and God is still forming our hearts.
SPEAKER_00: The question is whether we're willing to trust him enough to let him do it.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.