- 1 Kings 17:2–7 - And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
- Isaiah 55:8 - For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
In Isaiah 55:8, God says: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." One of the greatest challenges of the Christian life is that we do not always understand God's ways. Sometimes we think we absolutely need a miracle, but God does not act as we expect. God works through both miraculous and ordinary means, and He decides how He will do it. In this passage, Elijah was receiving food miraculously through ravens, while he drank water from an ordinary stream. When the stream dried up, God could have miraculously provided water again, but instead, He directed Elijah to another place. Sometimes God uses ordinary life events to move us into the next stage of His plan. The drying up of the stream was the beginning of Elijah's new ministry. Therefore, when God does not perform the miracle we expect and allows our 'stream to dry up,' it does not mean He has abandoned us. He may be preparing us for the next stage. God is just as actively at work in our daily lives as He is in miracles. Learn to see His hand in ordinary events. He opens some doors, closes others, and directs His children according to His perfect plan. At the same time, we must remember that today God does not give us new revelations outside of Scripture; He leads believers through His Word, the work of the Holy Spirit, and His divine providence.
Reflection
Are you going through a season where your 'stream has dried up,' meaning your previous sources of provision have run out? Reflect on how God might be using this situation to prepare you for the next stage.
