1 Kings 17:6-7

The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

1 Kings 17:6-7

The prophet Elijah had recently stood before wicked king Ahab and proclaimed God’s judgment on Israel it wouldn’t rain for three years. God then instructed Elijah to go to the other side of the Jordan to the Brook Cherith and stay there for his protection, provision, and humbling. God provided for His servant in two ways: naturally, by the brook, and supernaturally, by the ravens bringing food. Elijah might have wondered, in this time of famine, what’s to keep those scavenger ravens from eating his food? But Elijah was provided for.

Then, one day, Elijah notices that the brook is getting smaller, and now, day by day, there is less and less of it. This was a test of Elijah’s faith that he would need when he faced the prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel. We don’t read of Elijah panicking or venturing out to see if there were better provisions somewhere else. He simply waits for God to give him the next instruction. He stayed in his place of solitude as God strengthened his faith so that he would look to God and not the trickle of a brook. Are you facing a drying brook of popularity, failing health, diminishing business, or decreasing friendships? Why does God allow the brook to dry up? To teach us to trust in Him and not in His gifts.

Looking to Him,

Pastor Gerard Deleeuw