I Kings 17:1-6; 7-16-And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. 2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. 7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. 8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. 12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. 15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
Introduction:
· This is the first mention of Elijah in the Bible and this story in one that is well known to scholars and students of the Word of God. It has a great message for modern-day Christians who feel they are overwhelmed and troubled in certain situations in their Christian life.
· Because of the king’s sin, Elijah proclaims there will be no rain on the earth according to his word. James 5:17 tells us that it did not rain for 3 ½ years.
· I Kings 17:1-6 tells us that God directed Elijah to a brook. There, God fed and provided drink for him through this secret water source and feed him with through the work of the ravens.
· But, eventually this drought took its toll on Elijah himself, and the brook dried up. In other words, the Prophet found himself in a dire situation that looked bad.
· What should you do when your brook dries up?
· How about that brook of …
§ …God's blessings and financial supply?
§ …God's strength and good health?
§ …God's presence and peace?
· Let me give you three things you should do when your brook dries up.
I. Trust and Obey
1 Kings 17:7-10-And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. 8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath…
A. You can Trust God, because He’s never been wrong
1. Numbers 23: 19-God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
2. Psalm 37: 25-I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
B. You should Obey God, because He’s rewards obedience
1. I Samuel 15:22 “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,”
2. Ill. A young teenage boy had just gotten his driver’s license. When he got home, he asked his father, who was a minister, if they could discuss the use of the car. His father took him into his study and said to the boy, "I’ll make a deal with you. If you bring up your grades, study your Bible a little, and get a haircut, then we’ll talk about the use of the car." After about a month, the boy came back and again asked his father if they could discuss the use of the car. They again went to the father’s study where his father said, "Son, I’ve been so very proud of you. You have brought up your grades, you’ve studied your Bible diligently, but you didn’t get your haircut." The young man waited a moment and replied, "Dad, I’ve been thinking about that. You know, Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, even Jesus had long hair..." His father interrupted him at that point and said, "Yes son, and they walked everywhere they went!".... A lot of Christians are like that son. They want to be rewarded for partial obedience. God is a rewarder of those that obey!
II. Walk By Faith, Not By Sight,
1 Kings 17:9-10- And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
Illustration-When Hudson Taylor went to China, he made the voyage on a sailing vessel. As it neared the channel between the southern Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, the missionary heard an urgent knock on his stateroom door. He opened it, and there stood the captain of the ship. "Mr. Taylor," he said, "we have no wind. We are drifting toward an island where the people are heathen, and I fear they are cannibals." "What can I do?" asked Taylor. "I understand that you believe in God. I want you to pray for wind." "All right, Captain, I will, but you must set the sail." "Why that’s ridiculous! There’s not even the slightest breeze. Besides, the sailors will think I’m crazy." But finally, because of Taylor’s insistence, he agreed. Forty- five minutes later he returned and found the missionary still on his knees. "You can stop praying now," said the captain. "We’ve got more wind than we know what to do with!"
A. To walk by faith, you must know the word of God, ‘Arise, get thee…’
B. To walk by faith, you must believe God is a step ahead of you, ‘I have…’
C. To walk by faith, you must get moving, ‘So he arose…’
D. To walk by faith, you have to allow others to serve you, ‘Fetch me…’
III. The Lord Will Provide A Way Somehow
1 Kings 17:11-14- And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. 12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
A. When resources are low and expectations are high, 11-12
1. Notice she was willing to do what she thought she could do, 11
2. Notice she used the name of God to tell what she couldn’t do, 12
3. Notice she expected the worse, when God wanted the best,
B. When the Word says one thing, but you believe another, 13-14
- Verse 14 says that God was speaking through Elijah
1. Your provision is based upon God’s Providence
2. Your provision is based upon God’s Promises
1 Kings 17:15-16-And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
Conclusion:
I once heard a lady sing a song at a ministerial convention I was attending and the chorus of the song went like this:
"little is much, when God is in it
labor not for wealth or fame
there is a crow and you can win it
just go on in Jesus' name..."
When your brook dries up, don't give into fear or doubt. Trust God and HIs plan and walk in faith and obedience and watch what God will do in your life and situation.
“God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them.” (anonymous)
