When the brook
dries out: Can
God Really Meet My Need? I Kings 17:1-24
There is one thing that every person in this room has in
common: we all have needs!
What are we to do when needs
arise? The natural reaction is for us to worry, but we know from the Bible that
this is not God's will for our lives. Should we try to meet our own
needs? The simply answer is "Yes!"
There are times when we have reached the end of the
line. We have done everything we know
to do to meet our own need. We have exhausted every
resource. What do we do then?
When our needs arise, so do our
doubts! The enemy whispers to our
hearts, "Can God really meet your needs?" If we aren't careful, we might
find ourselves wondering the same thing! "Can God Really
Meet My Need?"
The answer is "Yes, God
can!" Let's look at our text today.
1 Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead,
told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I
serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the
word!”
Elijah had brought the
Word of the Lord to Ahab in v1. No rain nor dew for as
judgment against their wickedness. Cf
1Kings 16:29-34 (The Drought in Israel)
2 Then the Lord said to Elijah,
3 “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook,
near where it enters the Jordan River.
He was to wait on
the east side of the Jordan river by the brook called Cherith. There are two reasons for this departure: 1st , it was to fulfill the prophecy of God in
the lives of the king and the people of Israel. 2nd , God sent his prophet to the "school
of the desert" not only to save his life from the sword of Ahab and
Jezebel, but also to strengthen his faith in God who is able to provide all his
needs in time of drought.
Our Needs Will Arise. Elijah's need arose from His obedience to the
will of God. Elijah was just doing what he
was told and then his need came. There are times when you seem to be
doing everything just like you are supposed to be doing it. You are paying your tithes, you are
going to church, you are living right and still there are troubles and problems
that plague your life.
So, even when we are doing what we are
supposed to do…needs will arise.
4 Drink from the brook and eat what the
ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.”
God's Past Preparations to meet our needs :
Thousands of years before
Elijah needed a drink of cool, clear water, the finger of God traced out
the path of this little brook. God knew that His servant would need this
provision and God made away for Elijah long before the need ever arose. Isn't it good to know that God provided a way
to meet Elijah's need before he ever got thirsty?
Let's follow this thought and
bring it up to our day. God knows all about my troubles before they
come. God has already taken all the steps necessary
to meet my need before it ever arises. He will manifest that supply in His own
way and in His own time. Our responsibility is to be patient and
faithful to the Lord.
He will have no problem taking
care of our needs today! He will take care of
us!
5 So Elijah did as the Lord told him and
camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan.
6 The ravens brought him bread and meat each
morning and evening, and he drank from the brook.
7 But after a while the brook dried up, for
there was no rainfall anywhere in the land.
At this point in his life as well as ours we naturally
want to say to God "Well, how are you going to do that? or "I bet God
will provide for me in this way or that, through this brother or sister , or
that church, etc." But as someone
once said, "The one characteristic of God is that He is
unpredictable." Can’t put Him in a box, He’s infinite. In the midst of the drought the Lord led Elijah to a
small stream in the rough hills of Jordan.
This was God's special place for Elijah, Cherith.
A. What was at Cherith? Here God supplies water- when no one else has it. Here God supplies food - when food is scarce. Here God supplies bread - when it also is
scarce.
B. Everything is wonderful for Elijah. He has worked hard and now is enjoying the fruit of his labor and faithfulness. Everyone else is having a hard time because of the drought, but not Elijah.
C. BUT ONE DAY THE BROOK DRIED UP: The ravens didn't show. Elijah went to get a drink, and the brook was dry. Everything that Elijah had relied upon was gone! The only One left was God.
Some provisions don’t last for a purpose. One day the brook will dry up. Perhaps your Cherith is a special friend or a bank account or a job that provides security. All of Elijahs security vanished in a days time.
What
would have happened if Elijah stayed there and cried in self-pity? He surely would have died. Others would have suffered.
ver 8-16
The very next place God brings Elijah is to the widow of Zarephath. They were about to die! They desperately needed Elijah at the very time that God sent him there. Hmmmm. What a coincidence!
Baal worshipped would have flourished if Elijah had stayed there. In chapter 18 we read of how Elijah took on 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two
opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the
people answer- ed him not a word.” (1 Ki. 18:21) The people needed Elijah's ministry and strong challenge to choose to serve
God.
WHEN YOUR BROOK DRIES UP. (ALL SECURITY GONE)
A. Think. DON'T
CRY TOO LONG. Remember that the same God who has provided in the past can do so in the
future. He will take care of us
B. THANK GOD FOR
THE WONDERFUL TIMES YOU HAD BY THE BROOK. So often we forget the blessings of God when we are faced with some trial.
C. Transfer…FOLLOW
WHERE GOD POINTS YOU. We must allow God to direct in our lives. Trusting His guidance as we follow. He will take us places we have never imagined and He has more provisions/blessings in store for us as we
follow in obedience.
Where are we at tonight? Are we sitting comfortably along side the brook enjoying
the blessings of God? Enjoy this time and praise the Lord for what He is doing
in our lives. But we must
realize that there will come a time when God will cause our brooks to dry up. We will be faced with an uncertain future.
This God will do, not to punish us or be mean to us, but to strengthen us and use us to fulfill His purpose
for our lives. We can choose to obey Him and be blessed or we can choose to complain and dry up along with the
brook.
8 Then the Lord said to Elijah,
9 “Go and live in the village of Zarephath,
near the city of Sidon.
I
have instructed a widow there to feed you.”
Faith In The Ways Of
God
Imagine how Elijah felt when his brook dried
up and the ravens quit bringing food and God comes along and sends him to a widow so
she can keep him up. Widows were poor, they weren't known for
having a great deal of material things. Sometimes, We we certainly can't understand
how He will choose to work in our lives.We must have faith that God knows what He is
doing and we must learn to trust God's ways.
The widow was a woman of
faith. God was able to communicate with
her. V.9 He had commanded her to
sustain Elijah. V9 She had been expecting Elijah,
10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at
the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her,
“Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?”
11 As she was going to get it, he called to
her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.”
Elijah arrived thirsty and
hungry
12 But she said, “I swear by the Lord your
God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a
handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the
jug.
She explained her
situation to Elijah. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook
this last meal, and then my son and I will die.” The Widow Thought She Was
Going to Die. She and her sons were
almost out of food. She sees only death ahead.
The Widow's Need. These verses reveal a widow
woman who was suffering need because of the wrongdoing of others. Because of the sin of the
nation of Israel, God sent a drought that affected the area where this widow
lived. She was just caught up in an
unfortunate situation. There are times like that
for you and me.
Through no fault of our own, we find
ourselves caught up in unpleasant situations that bring trouble into our lives. Sometimes we make our own trouble,
other times it seems to be able to find us on its own.
Other People’s needs: Bad things happen to good
people? We live in a world of sin,
and WE ARE NOT IMMUNE TO THE EFFECTS OF SIN.
13 But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid!
Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first.
Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son.
Needs Effect:"Fear " (v. 13) Fear is common to all. So many kinds of fears
may beset us. Fears about our families. Fears about health. Fears about money. Fears about the future.
Elijah's advice to the
worried widow: She was to make that cake: do the routine things, But first, she was to make a cake for him. Here is the principle: put God first in our lives. In giving God priority, we can overcome our fears.
14 For this is what the Lord, the God of
Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers
until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!”
15a So she did as Elijah said….
God's Promise For Tomorrow v14-Faith In The Word Of God
1. This widow woman entered
this valley of testing with the greatest promise. Don't miss this! Elijah tells her not to worry, because the
Lord will give her what she needs out into the future!
The future is always uncertain and we never
know what kinds of needs may arise as soon as tomorrow, but we have the
precious promises of the Lord.
(Heb 13:5b) for he hath said, I
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
I may not know what will come
in the morning, nut He knows what will happen
and He has already made preparations. No matter where the road of life leads, no
matter what problems arise,
God is always ready with the necessary means
to meet the need of His children.
Faith In The Work Of God
Let's put ourselves in this widow's place. It must have been a real trial of faith for
this woman to make that great a sacrifice, but she placed her faith in the Work
of God. Notice v 15 tells us that "she went and
did..." This is key, but is often
missed when we face a trial in life. If we have submitted our
life to the Lord and are faithfully engaged in carrying out His will in the
world, we are His responsibility, and He will take care of us. Too often we forget to Whom
we belong
God changed this widow's
negatives into positives He brought her from anxiety to assurance
15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and
Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days.
16 There was always enough flour and olive
oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.
1.The Barrel of Meal was
not used up" (vv. 15- 16) Things turned out better
than the widow expected. Plenty of meal and oil. Guaranteed until the drought was over. What God promises we can count on.
2. We have all feared
things that didn't happen
3.The widow put God's will
first and He provided for her. We are to believe God's promises regardless of the
circumstances. v12 Ae
we trusting His promises today? Don't focus on the have not's God's promises are intended to remove fear from our
lives. v13 Are we full of fear? Why? Are
fears robbing us of the joy of living? He
promises to provide and take care of us every step of the way. Believing God's promises may seem to involve some
personal risk. v15
v16. When
we live by faith in His promises, God will always supply.
17 Some time later the woman’s son became
sick. He grew worse and worse, and finally he died.
18 Then she said to Elijah, “O man of God,
what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my
son?”
The Mother's Need. v17-18
- In these verses, we find a
woman who has given much to the Lord and she has received much from the Lord,
yet she is thrown into a time of grief over the untimely death of her only son.
- Her world, which seemed to be
on track, derailed and filled her with sorrow and pain.
Ever been there?
The Lord has been blessing and you have been enjoying the
best that God has to give and then the bottom falls out and all of your hopes
and dreams come crashing down around you.
-our troubles have a way of
overtaking us when we aren't expecting them.
They
leave us dazed, hurting and confused.
Even in the midst of trouble, God is still
in control!
Another interesting thought here is the widow became
aware more of her sin & God.
Our Needs have its own way of drawing us closer to God
or…for some…farther away from Him.
19 But Elijah
replied, “Give me your son.” And he took the child’s body from her arms,
carried him up the stairs to the room where he was staying, and laid the body
on his bed.
20 Then Elijah
cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, why have you brought tragedy to this
widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?”
21 And he
stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the Lord, “O
Lord my God, please let this child’s life return to him.”
22 The Lord heard
Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived!
23 Then Elijah
brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look!” he
said. “Your son is alive!”
24 Then the woman
told Elijah, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the Lord
truly speaks through you.”
Faith In The Wonder
Of God v17-24
Faith looks beyond the present
pain and sees a God who can and will.
Summarize major points: All
have needs- Israel & King Ahab, Elijah, Widow, widow’s son….us.
They were meant to drive us
closer to God, not far away from Him.
The greater the need, the more
glory to God just like what this widow
said to Elijah.
Can God meet my needs? Yes, He can and He will!
Resource Taken from: Alan Carr
& Don Robinson
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