When Your Brook Dries Up

“When Your Brook Dries Up”

I Kings 17:1-6 & 7-16

Introduction

· This is the first mention of Elijah in the Bible

· 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 direct Elijah to a brook. There, God feed 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.

· What should you do when your brook dries up?

· How about that brook of …

§ …financial supply?

§ …good health?

§ …peace?

· Let me give you three things you should do when your brook dries up.

I. Trust and Obey, 7-8

Song:

When we walk with the Lord

in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way!

While we do his good will,

he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.

Chorus:

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

A. You can Trust God, because He’s never been wrong

1. Num. 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. Psa. 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 Sam. 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!"

3. 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, 9-10

Ill. 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 Make A Way Somehow, 11-14

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 expect the worse, when God wanted the best,