Five verses . . . only five short verses in 1 Kings between two bookends stating, "The word of the LORD came to him". First Elijah is instructed to go hide by the brook Cherith where ravens would provide for him. The brook dried up; then God told him to move on from there to Zarephath where a widow would have provisions. What a simple series of events when written in so few words, why wouldn't Elijah be faithful. But let's be careful to remember that Elijah was a real man living in real time with a real body and hunger and fear. Imagine with me what our prayer might have been in Elijah's shoes:
Elijah: "Good morning LORD, thank you for the raven breakfast this morning, these guys are getting good at not getting beak marks in my eggs (ok, I know it probably wasn't eggs). Thank you for guiding me to this place and for your wonderful care. However, I couldn't help but notice this morning that I'm seeing a few more rocks and a little less babble out of this brook. Just thought I'd mention it."
Surely, Elijah noticed as each day the bank got a little taller and the water got a little quieter between where we read "The word of the LORD came to him" and "the brook dried up". However, he stayed the ground the Lord had given him. God had told him to go to the brook Cherith and water or no water there was no better place to be than in the path of the Sovereign God. Elijah trusted God's guidance and certainly was rewarded with His provision and presence. Perhaps you are on fresh soil of new ground with trembling feet, perhaps you're dusting the dirt of a dry brook off your shoes, or maybe you are where we spend the majority of our lives, somewhere in between, down on your knees measuring the water to see if God will be faithful. Get up. He is.
The brook dried up, but in the midst of famine and scorching sun the faithfulness of God is a downpour.
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