Communication

I was reading in my Bible and the story of Elijah, the prophet, (found in 1 Kings). And I came to the part where God had told Elijah to go and hide and then it said something very interesting, it said, “And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.” 1 Kings 17:4

Notice particularly that Lord said that He had commanded the ravens. The new thought struck me, one that I had never even thought of before and to me it was amazing! God communicates with animals, and there are many instances in the Bible where it talks about such.

There are even stories that didn’t happen too long ago where it talks about God using the animals to reach us human beings.

I believe that the reason why God communicates with the animals is to send a message across to us, different messages, but sometimes God has to communicate with us that way for us to listen and obey.

God’s message to Elijah was that no matter what would happen, God would take care of him, and that he didn’t need to be worried or afraid. God has given us the same message through the story of Elijah; we don’t need to worry about the situations that we are in, because if necessary God will command the birds in heaven to feed us.

There are other instances in the Bible where God spoke to the animal; one of them is the story of Jonah.

When Jonah disobeyed God and went in the opposite direction. The Lord sent a storm so violent that the men of the ship finally agreed to throw him overboard. Well, once they did and Jonah was in the water and God commanded a very great fish to swallow Jonah up.

God was showing mercy to Jonah, He communicated to the fish to swallow Jonah up so that Jonah’s life could be preserved. Then three days later God commanded the fish to vomit Jonah up on dry land and it just so happened to be near the place where God wanted Jonah to go in the first place.

The animals are wiser than us in the fact that they listen to the voice of God speaking to them the first time that He speaks to them.

There is another instance in the Bible where God spoke through an animal. The story of Balaam and the donkey, Balaam was going in direct opposition to the will of God. Balaam was offered a lot of money if he would come and put a curse on the Israelites, and he agreed and went with the messengers even after the Lord had told him not to go.

On the way, God sent an angel to stand in his way and to slay him, but the donkey that Balaam was riding on sensed and knew, he maybe even saw the angel standing in the pathway, and three times he avoided the angel and the more he did it the more upset Balaam became.

So he struck at the donkey, the Bible then tells us the Lord opened the voice of the donkey and the donkey was able to speak to Balaam and tell him why he avoided the road three times.

God is able to speak to and through these animals and the animals listen and obey their Creator’s voice. How much more should we as human beings obey the voice of the Lord?

There are even stories nowadays that take place where God speaks to the animals to do certain things and He has even let the animals speak so His message will be heard and so we will listen and obey. It is sad to think that we are so unwilling to listen and obey the voice of the Lord on our own, but it also reveals the wonderful love of our heavenly Father, that He does not give up on us but that He will, if He needs to, communicate with and through the animals to get the message across to us.

Though sometimes it is to strengthen our faith and trust in God, such as was the case with Elijah and in the case of all those out there who have experienced the power of God through animals bringing them food because they trusted in God and God supplied their needs.

I will close with a story that took place not so long ago, about how the Lord spoke through an animal to give a very special message.

There was a man in a certain village; he was the local pastor to his people. Well, to make a long story short, he heard about the Sabbath somehow and heard that it was the right and true day to worship on. He was confused however and didn’t know what he should do.

So not believing the things that were told to him, he went out the next Saturday to work in his garden. And he and all his family were with him, started on the little path that leads to their garden. They reached the clearing, where there was a field and low and behold and much to their surprise was their cattle all in a line, with the bull in the front.

All of a sudden the huge bull cow spoke up and asked the pastor why he was going to go and work on the Lord’s Day, and the pastor much to his great surprise answered back.

I can’t remember how the full conversation went, but I know that the pastor and his family did not end up working in their garden that day, and from then on they kept the true Sabbath day. And as for their cow, it never spoke again; it didn’t have to, the pastor could speak to his village himself.

I think that it is amazing that God will work in our lives in that way; He loves us so much and wants us to know about His truth and love that He will use every means possible to get that message across to us. But wouldn’t it be even better if we listened to Him the first time? I think it would be! :)

Do you want God to communicate with you like He does the animals? He will if you allow Him to and if you are willing to listen to and obey His voice!

I want the Lord to communicate with me, don’t you?