The Drying of the Stream

"And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land." (1 Kings 17:7)

Because there had been no rain, the brook which had supplied Elijah’s water became dry. Undoubtedly, Elijah had watched it daily. He knew it was going down and he was forced to trust God in an increased measure for the next step in his life. Did the prayers that he had offered to God for the rain to stop haunt him now? It is hard to be in a difficult situation because one has received the answer to their prayer.

Elijah has another test before him. He’s lasted 6-8 months alone. A man can live without many things but he cannot live without water. What does he do? I think that if the temptation to move before God’s time ever arose, it came when the stream dried up. Did he think of following the wadi down to the Jordan River? The Jordan would be the last place to go dry. Perhaps his mind was filled with thoughts of disobedience. Did he ever think of moving from Cherith to nearby Syria and escaping the prophetic life?

Elijah doesn’t move. His last instructions were to go to Cherith and until he hears from the Lord, he is not moving. It is good that he doesn’t. Ahab & Jezebel are angry. They’ve got a price on his head, and disobeying may have been the last thing he ever did. Does he know that? Like most of us walking by faith, he doesn’t know until after the fact. He can’t move to the Jordan or go into Syria now. He’s in too deep. He has to trust God.

A valuable principle that my mother taught me is this—"When you don’t know what do don’t do anything." Don’t abandon your previous leading until the new clearly comes. Elijah practices this and "then the word of the Lord came to him." (1 Kings 17:8).

May we all learn this treasured truth. Moving before God’s time can be detrimental, even deadly. When the brook dries up and pressure arises, wait until God tells you to move.