And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 1 Kings 17:1-4.
Dear Heavenly Parent, I am so grateful for the blessing of belonging to You! I am assured that You will never bring me into a situation where You cannot accompany me. And in You I am secure! In the blessed name of Jesus Christ I give You thanks. Amen.
Even before Elijah knew that He would be praying fire down from heaven, God had begun to prepare Him for this assignment. He delivered a message to the king that could have cost him his life (we mentioned this before). Then God said, “Get away as quickly as you can!” Note the similitude between the circumstances when Elijah delivered the first message at the beginning of the drought and when he delivered the second message announcing the end of the drought. God said:
1.) “Tell the king that a drought is about to come and then hide yourself, and I will feed you.” 1 Kings 17:1, paraphrased summary).
2.) “Tell the king that the drought has ended. I will send rain.” (1 Kings 18:1, paraphrased summary).
“Whether fleeing or facing the king, you do what I ask you to do and I will do the rest. So you have nothing to worry about. I am always in control!” (Author’s thoughts).
It has been said: “All of God’s biddings are enablings.” I believe that! I have proven that! God is not only our Creator; He also holds the control over the circumstances of His children. If we reject it, He will respect our decision. Otherwise, we are safe in His care!
In both situations, the Lord was preparing Elijah for what was to come. In the preparation for his assignment, the fleeing came before the glory. At the close of his assignment, the glory (Mount Carmel) came before the fleeing. That is not without a reason. Success can sometimes be more dangerous than failure! Elijah must be aware of His vulnerability as well as of God’s ability!
So God feeds him with bread and water until the brook Cherith dries up (1 Kings 17:6, 7). Then He sends Him to the home of a widow, where again he is on a diet of bread and water (1 Kings 17: 10, 11). So that, at the end of the journey, when he is fleeing, his diet of bread and water is already familiar to him (1 Kings 19:6).
The miracle he wrought by bringing the widow’s son back to life, I believe, was also a part of his preparation for the journey. Sometimes God uses others to confirm our calling. By acknowledging him the way she did when her son was raised from the dead ” ‘ “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth” ‘ ” (1 Kings 17:24).
When he stood on Mount Carmel surrounded by the prophets of Baal, believing that he was the only one left, who was faithful to God, it took a lot of courage. God could have made known to him before, that there were seven thousand other faithful followers who had not bowed their knees to Baal, nor kissed his hand. I have found that we are at our strongest in faith, when we believe that “it is God and I alone in this battle.” That is when we hold on to him for dear life! Now the words of the widow would increase his courage as he realized that God had indeed put His “Word of Truth” in his mouth.”
This knowledge served a dual purpose: To keep him humble as well as hopeful! God is faithful in preparing us for our assignments!
Note: This devotional has been updated.