1 Kings 17:1-9 - Moving on

Scripture:

1 Kings 17:1-9
1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word."
2 The word of the Lord came to him, saying,
3 "Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.
4 "It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there."

5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.
6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook.
7 It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
9 "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."
NASU


Thoughts:

What an amazing sequence of events!  Elijah prophesying as the Lord commanded Him (verse 1), the prophecy coming true (verse 7b), and the Lord providing for Elijah through a brook and ravens (verses 4, 6).  How spiritually momentous!  How exciting.

But then something happens, the brook dries up (verse 7a).  God is not asleep however, He knew this would take place.  He provides another source of sustenance for Elijah, through a widow (verses 8-9).

Thinking on this passage metaphorically, how do we react when the brooks of God's spiritual provision dry up in our lives?  When we find a choice place as Elijah was given, we want to put a stake in the ground and never leave.  But sometimes the Lord puts us in a particular place of spiritual nourishment for a certain time only, and then moves us on. 

As for Elijah it made no sense to fret over the brook and stay where the Lord was not providing any longer.  We too have to hear from God where He wants to take us next, and go.  Not mourning over the "dried up brook," but looking forward to the "widow" whom the Lord has commanded for us.


Prayer:

Lord, one of the hardest things to face as a Christian are those times that You lead us in a new direction.  We tend to want to camp out where You have provided in the past, but sometimes we have to leave those things behind.  Whether it be corporately, for example adjusting the ministry style from past successful vehicles of ministry to new methods of reaching and helping people.  Or individually, for instance guiding a person to a different Bible study, church, or devotional practices.

Help me not to hold on too tightly to the things You are using in my life.  What matters is that I am connected to and growing in You.  Help me to be malleable and submissive to Your leading in my life, in line with Your Word.

Amen

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.