................................................................................................................................................................
Isolation By The Kerith
Brook
Is God Training You
Like He Did Elijah?
Dena Johnson
Martin
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!” Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go
to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River.
Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded
them to bring you food.” So Elijah did as the Lord told him and
camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. The ravens
brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the
brook. But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere
in the land. Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go
and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed
a widow there to feed you.” 1 Kings 17:1-9
Elijah.
When we think of Elijah, we think of miracles. We remember
how he raised the widow's son from the dead.
We remember his showdown with the prophets of Baal on
Mount Carmel. We remember how he prayed for rain until a mighty storm came upon
the land.
We remember how he was carried away by a whirlwind into
heaven.
But where was he before the miracles? What prepared him
for a public ministry?
Where did he gain the faith to ask for miracles?
What gave him the courage to face the prophets of Baal?
He was hiding from the ruthless King Ahab and his evil
wife Jezebel. He was alone at the Kerith Brook.
He was being fed by ravens, sent by the hand of God.
He was camped in the wilderness, isolated from everyone.
He was totally dependent upon God and God alone to meet his every need.
And there, by the Kerith Brook, God did an amazing work in
Elijah’s life.
God revealed himself as the Great I Am, the one who will
meet every need at exactly the right moment.
He had the opportunity to be ministered to by God himself,
to sit quietly by the brook absorbing God’s love.
He had the time to see God’s faithfulness, to learn to
trust his heart.
It was in his isolation, his time of greatest fear and
need, that God prepared him for a bigger ministry.
Isn't that just like God? He takes us to the end of
ourselves, to a place where we are totally dependent upon him.
He might strip us of everything that is important to us,
take us to a place of utter brokenness.
And there, in isolation by the Kerith Brook, he carefully
tends to our needs.
In the most unreal ways, he provides for us, feeds us,
clothes us. And, in the process, we learn how much he loves us.
We learn that we can trust him.
It is in our seasons of hurt and isolation that he does an
amazing work in us.
But that amazing work in us is not for us
alone. It is to prepare us for the amazing work God wants to do through us.
In his time of isolation, Elijah learned to trust God
completely.
He learned total and complete obedience to God. When God
said, "Go," Elijah immediately went to boldly confront King
Ahab and his wife Jezebel, the very people from whom he had been hiding.
Determined to prove that Jehovah is the one true God,
Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a showdown on Mount Carmel.
After watching them beg and plead with their gods to
consume the offering they offered, Elijah steps forward.
He soaks the altar and the sacrifice with water. He wasn't
content to just have fire; He wanted to prove that his God was almighty.
At the usual time
for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar
and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that
you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all
this at your command. O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will
know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.” Immediately
the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young
bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in
the trench! And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the
ground and cried out, "The Lord — he is God! Yes, the Lord is
God!" 1 Kings 18:36-39
A public ministry. A show of epic proportions. A
demonstration of power from the one true God.
An out-working of faith born at the Kerith Brook, born
from a time of total and complete dependence on God.
Have you been to the Kerith Brook? Are you at the Kerith
Brook today?
Your Kerith Brook might look quite different from
Elijah's.
Maybe your Kerith involves unemployment. Financial ruin.
Addiction.
Maybe it stems from the death of a loved one, an
unexpected and painful loss.
Perhaps like me, your Kerith Brook is the pain of adultery
and divorce. Maybe it is something totally different.
Regardless of circumstances, God's plan is the same: he
wants to use this time of isolation, this time of pain and loss, to mold you
into his image.
He wants to meet your every need. He wants to prove that
he is good, loving, faithful.
He wants to show himself as the Great I am. He wants to
build your faith so that you can eventually leave the Kerith Brook.
Then, when he sees that you are ready, he will lead you to
a mighty showdown, a place where his power and might can shine through you.
He wants to take you from your place of isolation and pain
to a place where he can use you to show-off to the world.
He wants to take you to a place where you can boldly stand
up and proclaim that you serve the one true God.
Are you at the Kerith Brook? Trust him.
You never know what kind of amazing ministry he might be
preparing you for!
Dena Johnson is a busy single mom of three kids who loves God
passionately. She delights in taking the everyday events of life, finding God
in them, and impressing them on her children as they sit at home or walk along
the way (Deuteronomy 6:7).
Her greatest desire is to be a channel of God’s comfort and encouragement. You
can read more of Dena’s experiences with her Great I AM on her blog Dena's Devos.
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