"The struggle is real."
I have a hard time deciding what to make for dinner, what to wear in the mornings, and what TV series to start watching next on Netflix. However, the big decisions in life are even more paralyzing. Maybe it is because I typically don't deal well with change? I understand that change is inevitable, but when I find a routine I like, I prefer not to change. Is that so bad?
I believe that there are times that we should plant roots, settle in, and plan to stick it out for the long haul. Yet, I also believe that at a moment's notice we should be ready to go where God calls. Thankfully, He gives us signs and guidance when we need to change... and in the story of Elijah, guidance came in the form of a babbling brook.
Here's a little background...
In 1 Kings 17, we meet Elijah. He is bold and goes and tells the evil king two things. First, he tells him that he is a servant of the Lord and secondly, he says that it will not rain in the land for the next few years. Yikes. No rain = No crops = No food = Bad situation. So, then, after Elijah tells the King this not-so-uplifitng news, God tells Elijah to go and hide in the Kareth Ravine. While he is there, birds bring him food each morning and each evening. Yes... you read that right! Birds brought him food twice a day, every day! There was also a brook where he could get drinking water. This was miraculous because there was no rain, yet the water still continued to flow.
Elijah had what he needed to survive. Sure, it wasn't like he was staying at the DoubleTree and eating at P.F. Changs every night, but God was miraculously giving him all that he needed. God sustained him and Elijah learned how to trust God in a whole new way. Elijah experienced God, His provider.
Yet, in 1 Kings 17:7-8, we read this: Some time later, the brook dried up because there had been no rain the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him, "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food."
When the brook dried up, can you imagine what Elijah felt?
"What in the world? Where are you, Lord? Why have you stopped providing for me?"
I am sure that there were panic-filled moments. He may have felt abandoned, hurt, discouraged and disappointed. He most likely felt afraid for his life and wondering what to do next.
Yet, God said, "Go!" and He gave Elijah directions as to where go next. As the story continues, we see that God continues to miraculously provide for Elijah as he meets with and ministers to the widow and her son. You'll have to read the rest of Elijah's story in 1 Kings 17-19. It is awesome to see how God continues to use this man of faith. However, let's sit in this section for a bit because I think we can learn a lot about the guiding hand of our God through this story.
A few things stood out to me:
1) When the brook was flowing, Elijah wasn't going.
He stayed where God was sustaining him. The brook was life-giving, so Elijah stayed where he was in the midst of God's provision.
2) When the brook dried up, God said "Go!"
When the life-giving supply ran dry, it was time for Elijah to move on. God didn't stop caring, He did not run out of resources. Yet, instead He dried up the brook, because He knew that He another step in store for Elijah. If God hadn't dried up the brook, Elijah may not have moved. He may have stayed where he had become comfortable and where he had what he needed.
I believe that we can connect this story to our lives and use Elijah's life to help us understand the guiding hand of God. God will always provide for us. We can stand by this promise in Scripture (Philippians 4:19). Yet, God does not just want to provide for us. He wants us to have abundant life! He wants us to be in a place and situation that is life-giving! So, when a situation is diminishing in it's ability to encourage and rejuvenate us, it may be time to go! It may be time to physically move. The brook drying up in your life may mean that it is time for a new season, a new place, a new ministry focus, etc. For others, it may mean that you need to stay put, but look for ways to change your habits, so that you can find life where you are! When your brook is drying up, God does not intend for you to stay. He came so that we can experience abundant life, and I believe that He calls us to make a change when we feel dry. He does not want us to stay in the desert. He wants us to experience the Promised Land.
I remember when I was about to graduate from high school, I was already dreaming about college... my dorm room, my new microwave, my new friendships, etc. During my last semester of college, I was excited and ready for the next steps, too. I loved both of those chapters of my life, but my brook was drying up. God was preparing me to "Go!" This can be such a gift to us, because it helps us ease out of a previous chapter into a new one.
Sometimes, in my spiritual life, I start to feel dry. I think many of us experience those "mountaintop" times, but when I hit the valleys, I know that God is calling me to "Go!" I need to pursue God with more fervor, more discipline, and more hunger. I can't stay put in mediocrity. I have to stay by the flowing, bubbling brook, because that is where I find LIFE. Abundant life. Life in the Spirit.
If you are abiding by a babbling, flowing brook, thank God for His abundant blessings! Continue to drink of His life-giving, sustaining, all-you-need streams! Yet, if your brook is drying up, don't dig your heels in, and stay where you are comfortable and established. Instead, search for God! Search for life! He does not make Himself difficult to find. Look for streams of living water, and there you will find our God.
- Carly
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