"In famine He shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword" (Job 5:20).

How wonderful it is as a child of God to be able to lay our future in His hands when calamities strike around us. God has said: "Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine" (Psalm 33:18-19). King David had been through great hardship early in his life. Yet he wrote: "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread" (Psalm 37:25).

Throughout Scripture we see God's promises claimed and fulfilled during times of want. When Jacob's family came to face famine in Palestine he heard "There is corn in Egypt" (Genesis 42:2). As famine squeezed all the nations, and it seemed inevitable that God's chosen people would suffer great want, God had providentially provided in advance by allowing Joseph to be given authority in Egypt.

During the famine of Elijah's day God told the prophet, "And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there" (I Kings 17:4). Thus if no man provides, God will have the birds ensure His promise is kept. Even if the animals were to fail, we know that the angels can minister, as they served Christ in the wilderness (Matthew 4:11). Indeed, God provided food straight from heaven for His people enroute to the Promised Land. God's storehouse is never exhausted and during times of want we should recall, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:31,33). DW