Pastor Mike's Weblog

The showdown in 1 Kings 18 was not between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, it was between God and His people. Elijah was simply God's instrument. Before being used of God to accomplish such a great victory Elijah had to learn to depend totally upon God.

After Elijah's proclamation to King Ahab in 17:1 God led him to a hiding place by a brook where He would provide for him. It was called Cherith. In the Hebrew language Cherith means to cut or trim. God was about to trim away any semblance of Elijah's dependency upon himself. God would be his sole provider. Elijah drank from the brook and God sent ravens to feed him each day.

We think this would be great, but can you imagine how humbling this was for a great prophet? One moment he was standing in the presence of the King of Israel speaking the words of God with authority, and the next moment he is hidden away in obscurity being fed a meager diet. Before Elijah had to time to bask in the glory of his own press releases God had whisked him away to relative obscurity.

And then the brook dries up. You've been there and so have I. We find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. No where to turn. No one to turn to, we think. God has forgotten us, or at least is displeased with us. We may have already been in a straight place, as Elijah was, living on bare minimums. And now when things could not have possibly gotten worse, they have.

Have you ever wondered how much time passed between verses 7 and 8? The brook dries up in verse 7; the word of the Lord comes to Elijah with a solution in verse 8. Maybe it was just a few moments; maybe a few days. Perhaps Elijah watched as over a period of time the brook steadily began to grow smaller and smaller, until finally he was sucking mud with his water. Then one day he had to choke down breakfast.

Between verses 7 and 8 is where the real test is found. Moment of decision: trust God or whine. Stay and wait for God's next move or make one of your own. We have all been there in times of dryness and silence, wondering if it is worth the hassle to keep plugging along in faith while our gums stick together and the sun cracks our parched lips. When our soul is all but shriveled up and our spirits are cracked and flaking.

Thanks be to our gracious God for verse 8! His Word always comes. Sooner or later He speaks life and hope to our thirsty beings. In Elijah's unique situation deliverance leads him straight into another time of testing. God informs him that He has appointed a widow to care for him in a place called Zarephath. The word Zarephath in Hebrew means refinement. Its noun form is the word ‘crucible'. The crucible is where precious metals are heated and refined, where the impurities are burned away. Elijah is about to be further refined by the heat of God's testing.

From the loneliness of the desolate brook to the destitution of a widow's home. She was about to eat her last meal and settle in to die. She was giving up. There was no hope. What news for Elijah to hear hard on the heels of the brook drying up! The place God had sent him for provision had already dried up as well. Elijah responded with true faith. Maybe his message for the widow was part of God's original instructions from verses 8 and 9; we are not told. Most likely it was given to Elijah at that moment when he met the widow and learned of her poor condition. God always leads us one step at a time. Are you thankful for that? How encouraging would it have been for God to have said to Elijah, "Now that the brook has dried up, go to Zarephath and find a widow that is about to starve to death. She will take care of you."

Maturity doesn't come without the process of maturing. And maturity doesn't automatically result from testing. Our choices during the time of testing make all the difference between growth or rebellion; between growing up or regression. Learning to depend totally upon God will only come as a result of having to make that choice and making it in faith.

Here are some important lessons to ponder from this amazing story.

1. Being saved is instant, becoming holy is a process.
2. When the brook dries up, it does not mean that God is finished with you.
3. The brook dried up as a result of Elijah's prophecy.
4. When God guides, He provides.
5. God leads us one step at a time.
6. When the brook dries up, it may be His pleasure and not necessarily our displeasure that He has in mind.

My heartfelt gratitude goes to Dr. Ed North, Pastor Emeritus of First Baptist Church, Humboldt, TN, for sharing this insightful message from God's Word with me and many others. It ministered to me at just the right time and in just the right manner. Isn't that just like the God portrayed in the story we examined above?