Encouragement

WHEN YOUR BROOK DRIES UP

by Ezekiel Olukolajo
01/22/24
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“When the Brook Dries Up”

 “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”. 1Kings 17:1-7 (KJV);

The Christian life is an exciting one. One of the things that make the Christian life interesting and fulfilling is the opportunity believers have to be guided and led by the Spirit of God in all matters of life and living. One major mark of the new life in Christ is the direct access to divine leading. Romans 8:14 says “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God”. No one can do life alone without divine direction and guidance; anyone who attempts to travel life’s paths without the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, is bound to roam aimlessly in the wilderness of life. Life is pointless when God is not involved, and this is the reason it is foolish for anyone to think he or she can live a meaningful life without God’s involvement.

According to 1Kings Chapter 17, a terrible famine broke out in Israel following the pronouncement of Prophet Elijah that there should be no rain or dew. Israel had backslidden and forsaken the only true God to lust after strange gods and idols of the gentiles. The famine proclaimed by Elijah was actually a judgment and direct consequence of their backsliding. However, in the space of the three and half years that the drought lasted, it is interesting to see that Elijah never suffered lack for one day, but had provision in abundance, while others languished in severe hunger and starvation. What was the secret? From the point the famine broke out, Elijah received accurate guidance and direction from God as to where to settle and live throughout the years that the famine lasted. It happened that God miraculously made, and placed provision in each of the places He led Elijah to go or settle. From the account of the scriptures, we can clearly see that what made the difference in Elijah’s life was his access to God’s voice and direction at each point.

By divine direction, Elijah was first led to the Brook Cherith, where God strangely arranged for ravens to bring him bread and meat every day, and he equally drank from the brook. Nevertheless, the Bible makes us to understand that after a while, the brook dried up. Yes, the brook totally dried up! One of the questions that may trouble our minds here is that why would a provision made by God Himself dry up suddenly or be short-lived? If God opened a door of provision for His servant, why would He allow that door to close again? This and many more are questions that usually flood our minds when we find ourselves in similar situations, where our brooks dry up unexpectedly.

When the brook you rely upon dries up, the first thing you need to understand is never to expect permanent provisions or support from a source where God has only placed a temporary provision and support for you. Many people usually make this mistake; they often fail to distinguish between a source, which God has designed to be only a temporary source of support, from the one He intends to be a source of permanent support or help. When God asked Elijah to go to the Brook Cherith, of course, He (God) knew that a time would come that the brook would dry up, and had got everything well figured out before time. Truth is, all brooks, no matter how big, can dry up! In life, it is ONLY God that can be a permanent source of help and unending support for us, all other categories of helpers (including helpers of destiny), only come into our lives for certain seasons, and can never be there throughout our entire life’s journey. It’s God ALONE that can always be there! Amen! So, when the brook you’ve been freely drinking from suddenly dries up, there’s no need for bitterness and frustration, it is to let you realize that the provision is only meant for a season, and not forever.

There is no argument that God initially led Elijah to the Brook Cherith, but now the brook dried up because it had fulfilled the purpose it was designed to fulfill by God in the life of Elijah. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven”. It’s dangerous for anything to outlast the purpose for which it is made; when anything outlasts its purpose, even for a day, it becomes a curse rather than a blessing, a burden rather than a delight. One possible reason the brook you rely upon may have dried up is because its purpose has been fulfilled. Listen, anywhere God leads you to in life, it is extremely important for you to be sensitive to discern and understand the purpose and the timing too. For instance, it was God that led the Hebrews into the land of Egypt so that they would be nurtured to become a nation; Egypt was not originally a house of bondage for the children of Israel. In fact, the children of Israel enjoyed great privileges and the best of the land for about four centuries, until a Pharaoh that didn’t know Joseph came to power, and made their lives miserable by hard labor. The children of Israel began to receive the treatment of slaves from the Egyptians, ostensibly at the expiration of the four hundred years that God had spoken to Abraham that they would spend. The children of Israel ended up spending four hundred and thirty (430) years against four hundred (400) years designed by God, and it was within those extra thirty (30) years that their lives were made bitter and completely miserable by hard labor and servitude to the Egyptians. Why? They overstayed their welcome in Egypt! Be sensitive, a place that was once a source of blessing could turn out to become a terrible snare if you stay there longer than designed by God. Simply put, the advice is that when God closes a chapter, be sensitive to move on, don’t attempt to continue to live on an expired agenda.

Another reason the Brook Cherith dried up was because God needed to move Elijah to another level of provision and fulfillment of purpose. When God closes a door, it’s because He wants to open a bigger one, God never takes people backwards! Proverbs 4:18 says “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day”. At the Brook Cherith, Elijah was literally in hiding, he was all by himself and had only the ravens for his companion. During the entire days, weeks or months Elijah dwelt by the Brook Cherith, he had no one to talk to or relate with, but now, God moved him out of hiding to the next level of provisions and divine purpose. 1Kings 17:8-9 says “And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee”. God is the God of purpose. In His divine counsel, He had designed a destiny connection between Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, belonging to the gentile nation of Zidon. The only way God would move Elijah to this level of divine assignment was to allow the Brook Cherith to dry up. If the brook had not dried up, Elijah would not have had any cause to move out of hiding to meet this woman, but God orchestrated everything to create the connection of Elijah with the widow of Zarephath.  

It’s important to mention that the purpose of the meeting of Elijah with the widow of Zarephath was bigger than the provision and sustenance that God miraculously placed under the roof of the widow for Elijah till the end of the severe famine. It’s obvious God’s focus was to achieve something much bigger than just meeting the physical needs of Elijah and the poor widow. God wanted to use the occasion to bring His light to the gentile nation of Zidon, so He used the situation of the brook drying up, to move Elijah to that place. At Zarephath, Elijah lived under the roof of the widow and had the opportunity to relate with and impact the lives of the woman and her son. What a wonderful thing! I am very certain that after that encounter, the lives of the widow of Zarephath and her son were transformed forever, which was the bigger purpose God wanted to achieve. People of God, please, when God allows your brook to dry up, don’t ever be ungrateful or get bitter at Him, be sensitive, it might be a signal that He wants to take you to a higher level of divine assignment and fulfillment of purpose.

Finally, when the brooks you depend upon dry up, it is a call to look up unto the Almighty God. Psalm 121:1-2 says “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. ² My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth”. Like I said earlier, only God is the Source of everlasting and unending help; when every other source fails, He will never fail. When the Brook Cherith dried up, all that Elijah needed to do was to look up unto God for direction and instructions as to what he needed to do next, and God spoke again. As believers in Christ, God wants us to always set our eyes on Him for direction and guidance as we navigate life’s unknown paths. This is what really makes the difference between us and the other people who are not His children.

In conclusion, one cardinal truth that we must always remember is that, the fact that God is leading us through a path does not mean we’re not going to come across challenges and difficulties. Being in the center of God’s will is not a guaranty or immunity to challenges of life. However, when we are in the center of God’s will, the firm assurance we will always have is that God will never forsake or abandon us. The God that made the provision of the brook for Elijah immediately the famine broke out, was the Same God who raised the widow of Zarephath to sustain him till the famine was over. If God did it before, He can, and will surely do it again and again! This is something we must never forget as we journey through life. The testimonies of the wonderful things God has done in our lives in the past, are the credentials and evidences that He can do it now, and over again! We must never forget this as we journey through the unknown paths of life.

Shalom!

Ezekiel Olukolajo

Copyright January 2024
Contact: [email protected]