When Your Brook Dries Up

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.