Daily our lives change. In some cases, dramatically. Everywhere you look, every news clip you read, or listen to, hits us with this new reality. The culture wars in our society rage day after day. We find ourselves adrift in the middle of a turbulent sin-filled world. When times of uncertainty come how should we respond?
One of my favorite Old Testament characters is the man, Elijah, the Tishbite. He was a rugged old prophet from the town of Tishbe, in Gilead, east of the Jordan River. We meet him in the OT during the reign of King Ahab. (1 Kings 17-19). Elijah’s very name means, “My God is Yahweh.” This man, with a heart tender toward God, was told to go visit King Ahab, the worst of the nineteen kings that ruled over Northern Israel. What a contrast in personalities! I Kings 16:33, says, “King Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the Lord than any of the other kings before him”. He was one mean dude! Still, God chose Elijah to carry this message to King Ahab:
“As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives – the God I serve – there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word.” (v.1)
A troubling message to give to the worst king in Israel’s history! The next verses are interesting. “Then the Lord said to Elijah, go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food. So, Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. Some translations say, “go away from here and hide yourself.” By telling him to hide, God was protecting him from wicked King Ahab and his shrew of a wife, Jezebel!
Now, he may have lived by Kerith Brook for quite some time – perhaps years. It was a solitary experience for him, and he, quite likely, grew lonely. Yet, he did what God told him to do, and God did as He promised. Then, one day it all changed. Verse 7 says, “But after a little while the brook dried up because there was no rainfall anywhere in the land.” The drought he told Ahab was coming now affected him as well. His daily provision of water that he received from the brook was gone!
I know we have all had times in our life when we feel like our brook has dried up! We thought we were in God’s will and suddenly the brook dries up. Elijah had done what God asked, but the brook dried up! What gives?
God lots of times uses periods of suffering or trials to teach us obedience. James 1:5 tells us to consider it an opportunity for great joy when troubles come!
But wait! “Lord, you don’t understand…Everyday supplies are scarce, and the store shelves are empty!” …the brook has dried up. “My hours at work were cut and as a result my pay got cut!” …the brook has dried up. Maybe busyness has overtaken your life to the point where you have forgotten the value of time with God…your brook dries up. Or maybe sin has caused distance between you and God…the brook dries up.
Elijah was also affected by the drought. The story continues and God tells Elijah, “Go and live in the village of Zarephath. “I have instructed a widow there to feed you”. So, he arose and went. The training Elijah received at Kerith Brook was to continue at Zarephath. Zarephath was about seventy-five to a hundred miles up on the coast from where he was – and there was a drought in the land! Imagine what he must have looked like when he arrived there! The text tells us that he saw a poor woman gathering sticks to make a fire. It was a very bleak and discouraging picture.
Elijah went ahead and asked her for a drink. As she turned to get him a drink, he then asked for a piece of bread. She explained to him that she had no bread, only a little flour and little oil. She was going to prepare a small bite to eat for her and her son, so that they may eat and die! How depressing their circumstances!
Elijah responds, “Do not fear, go…make me a little bread cake from it first…and afterward you may make one for yourself and your son.” (Here’s my favorite part of the story) Elijah tells her, “There will always be flour and oil in your containers until the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”
The following text tells us that she and he, and her whole household ate for many days. The bowl of flour was not exhausted, nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord.
There is much more to this story which concludes with a great victory for God and Elijah at Mount Carmel. God taught Elijah to trust Him at Kerith Brook and, again at Zarephath. Based on that trust, he experienced a great victory at Mount Carmel. Elijah had learned at Kerith he could trust God when the brook dries up. He saw God’s faithfulness at Zarephath. The flour was never exhausted, and the oil never ran out. We need to learn these same lessons, as well, through difficult times.
I encourage you to read these chapters in I Kings 17-19. Don’t be discouraged if your brook seems to have dried up. God is in control, and He cares about you! Just remember, you’ll never experience victory like Elijah’s at Mount Carmel without first spending time by your own “Brook Kerith” and travelling through your own “Zarephath!” But remember, we may never experience victory this side of Heaven.
The writer of the book of Hebrews in the very familiar chapter 11, talks about all those giants of the faith whose stories are recounted here to give us encouragement.
A summary of chapter 11 starts in verse 33:
I could go on and on, but I’ve run out of time. There are so many more—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets…. Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead.
Victory after victory! Isn’t that what we all want? Unfortunately, not all of life is like that. Keep reading this summary of Hebrews 11.
There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection. Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons. We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless—the world didn’t deserve them! — making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world.
Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours. (MSG)
A much different picture here! However, we must not lose heart. We have an Anchor that keeps our soul. Remember this old hymn?
1 Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
when the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
will your anchor drift, or firm remain?
Refrain:
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love!
2 Will your anchor hold in the straits of fear,
when the breakers roar and the reef is near?
While the surges rage, and the wild winds blow,
shall the angry waves then your bark o’erflow? [Refrain]
3 Will your anchor hold in the floods of death,
when the waters cold chill your latest breath?
On the rising tide you can never fail,
while your anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]
4 Will your eyes behold through the morning light
the city of gold and the harbour bright?
Will you anchor safe by the heavenly shore,
when life’s storms are past for evermore? [Refrain]
Hold on! Never retreat!
Bill Erickson
Devotional Blog 