Built at the brook

Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the LORD came… 1 Kings 17:7-8

I want to focus on the word “Then.”

Brooks don’t dry up overnight. The water level fell, little by little, and Elijah is just like us—he could see that God’s plan for his provision wasn’t going to last much longer.

What’s it like being a prophet, getting these great words from the Lord?

Before the great Mount Carmel showdown, here’s the prophet Elijah, watching the brook slowly dry up. Water levels drop. What was clear sparkling water is now clouded, sandy, muddy. Then one morning Elijah wakes up, and the stream bed is dry. Sure, there might be a canteen or water bottle, but the water will only last for two or three days.

All the time, the same enemy who lies to you and me is planting little thoughts in Elijah’s mind. What kind of God do you serve? Look, He’s forgotten about you. You are a faithful prophet, but what do you get for a reward—nothing but muddy water! Those ravens who bring you bread and meat are going to return to pick your bones clean. You must have done something to displease God. Why isn’t He speaking to you? God doesn’t want to talk to you. You’ve flunked out as a prophet. And so on.

Why did God let the brook dry out?

We can point to many reasons—the widow who needed saving, the son who needed to be raised from the dead, the reality of the famine…but I would like to suggest that the big reason was to get Satan’s lies out of the table so God could deal with them once and for all in Elijah’s experience. The man who faced down 850 false prophets on Mount Carmel was being built at the brook.

If you’re in a lingering mess that just keeps getting a little worse every day, why? There may be many reasons, but here’s a big one: God is getting the devil’s lies out on the table so He can deal with them.

Let’s keep in mind while we linger here at the brook: Mount Carmel is coming. Some day the fire of God will fall. (Read 1 Kings 17 & 18.)

Remember, you are designed to make a difference!

Dwight

Photo credits: Desert meme adapted from photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management, Flickr, Creative Commons License, girl photo meme adapted from a photo by Hans Clough