CHOOSING HOPE WHEN LIFE SEEMS HOPELESS - No matter what difficult circumstances you may be facing, God wants you to know you can turn to Him as your “very present help” in times of trouble. Even though you may feel surrounded by problems on every side, the Lord wants to be your HOPE. Perhaps you’re feeling like your “brook” dried up and God’s help and provision were nowhere to be found. The key to a turnaround in your life is right there in your hand! God promises that if you keep the words of His Covenant, you will “prosper in all that you do.” And as you are blessed, you can BE a blessing to others — sending the hope and salvation of Jesus Christ to the nations of the world. - If you’ve watched any TV news lately, you’ve seen reports of the stress and hopelessness many people are experiencing today. Layoffs, unemployment, foreclosures, bankruptcies, and natural disasters are putting enormous pressure on families to give up hope and succumb to despair. This is not just the experience of unbelievers. I meet many Christians who face difficult times in their finances, health, family, or emotions. Like Job and many other men and women in the Bible, they’re at the end of their rope, and their faith is being tested. Friend, no matter what difficult circumstances you may be facing, God wants you to know you can turn to Him as your “very present help” in times of trouble.

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Choosing Hope When Life Seems Hopeless

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No matter what difficult circumstances you may be facing, God wants you to know you can turn to Him as your “very present help” in times of trouble. Even though you may feel surrounded by problems on every side, the Lord wants to be your HOPE. Perhaps you’re feeling like your “brook” dried up and God’s help and provision were nowhere to be found. The key to a turnaround in your life is right there in your hand! God promises that if you keep the words of His Covenant, you will “prosper in all that you do.” And as you are blessed, you can BE a blessing to others — sending the hope and salvation of Jesus Christ to the nations of the world.

by David Cerullo

If you’ve watched any TV news lately, you’ve seen reports of the stress and hopelessness many people are experiencing today.

Layoffs, unemployment, foreclosures, bankruptcies, and natural disasters are putting enormous pressure on families to give up hope and succumb to despair.

This is not just the experience of unbelievers.

I meet many Christians who face difficult times in their finances, health, family, or emotions.

Like Job and many other men and women in the Bible, they’re at the end of their rope, and their faith is being tested.

At such times, we need to know where to turn for help:

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains —

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2 NIV).

Friend, no matter what difficult circumstances you may be facing, God wants you to know you can turn to Him as your “very present help” in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).

Even though you may feel surrounded by problems on every side, the Lord wants to be your HOPE — “the One who lifts [your] head” (Psalm 3:3).

When the Brook Dries Up

Sometimes we forget that men and women in the Bible often went through trials very similar to those we face today.

For example, even though God provided Elijah with food brought by ravens and water from a brook, “it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land” (1 Kings 17:7).

Have you ever felt like your “brook” dried up and God’s help and provision were nowhere to be found?

Perhaps you’re feeling that way today, struggling to make ends meet and wondering whether God will be faithful to meet your needs.

At times like these, it’s important to remember that whenever you ask the Lord for a miracle, He will give you an instruction.

In Elijah’s case, God told him to go to Zarephath: “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you” (1 Kings 17:9).

Without debate or delay, Elijah “arose and went to Zarephath” (verse 10).

He chose to obey, knowing that obedience was his only hope of unlocking God’s supernatural provision in his life.

It Only Takes a “Handful”

Just as Elijah had to choose whether or not to obey God’s instructions, so the widow he found in Zarephath faced a difficult decision when the prophet told her, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand” (verse 11).

This may not seem like a very difficult request, but you have to understand the woman’s situation: “I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die” (verse 12).

What a dilemma.

This widow had almost nothing left… only a “handful” of flour and a little bit of oil. But you see, this “HANDFUL” was the key to her miracle!

“Faced with a seemingly hopeless situation, the widow could’ve surrendered to fear and unbelief… but instead, she CHOSE HOPE and obeyed God’s instruction!”

As long as the woman held on to her meager supply of food, that’s all she had.

But when she obeyed God’s instructions and released what was in her hand, God intervened in her circumstances and released the supernatural abundance that was in HIS hand!

Although the Lord’s instructions to this poor widow must have seemed totally unreasonable, His purpose was not her demise but her BLESSING!

Elijah assured her that if she would obey, “The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth” (verse 14).

She chose to obey the prophet of the Lord, and the result was MIRACULOUS provision: “She and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah” (verses 15-16).

What an amazing miracle!

In a time of drought and famine, this desperate woman went from having “not enough” to having “more than enough.”

From the brink of starvation and death, she experienced life and abundance — all because she chose to obey the man of God and believe the Lord’s word to her.

What’s in Your Hand?

Remember: The key to a turnaround in your life is not in some far-off place — it’s right there in your hand!

But here’s the problem:

“What you have in your hand must be transferred into God’s hand!”

How much food does it take to feed more than 5,000 hungry people?

Only five loaves of bread and two fish, IF they are transferred into Jesus’ hands and blessed by Him (Matthew 14:14-21)!

But how many people could have been fed without Jesus’ blessing on these loaves and fish? Maybe five or ten!

In Exodus 4:2, God asks Moses the same question He’s asking you today: “What is that in your hand?”

All Moses had in his hand at that point was a simple wooden shepherd’s rod.

But after he laid it down and surrendered it into the Lord’s hand, it was transformed into “the rod of God” (Exodus 4:20) —

o  able to part the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21),

o  bring water out of a rock (Exodus 17:5-6), and

o    gain supernatural victory over enemy armies (Exodus 17:8-13).

“Friend, I believe your breakthrough from God is at hand — and it’s literally in your hand! Whatever breakthrough you need from Him — whether in your finances, marriage, job, health, or children — the key is surrendering all of your resources into the hands of your Almighty Covenant Partner.”

God Wants to Bless You!

During this difficult season in the world’s economy, it’s more important than ever to keep God’s commandments.

Sow your financial Seeds into the Good Ground of His Kingdom, wrap your faith with expectation, and be fully persuaded that He will bless you!

God promises that if you keep the words of His Covenant, you will “prosper in all that you do” (Deuteronomy 29:9).

And as you are blessed, you can BE a blessing to others — sending the hope and salvation of Jesus Christ to the nations of the world.

David Cerullo is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Inspiration Ministries, located in Indian Land, South Carolina ­– a ministry dedicated to impacting people for Christ worldwide through media. The son of international evangelist Morris Cerullo, David took a less traditional approach to ministry, graduating from Oral Roberts University with a degree in business administration and management. He has authored over 20 books, and operates a global media ministry that powerfully impacts the world for Christ. More from David on Inspiration.org.

https://inspiration.org/david-cerullo/strengthen-your-walk/choosing-hope/

WHEN YOU’RE WAITING IN THE WILDERNESS - When we’re in a wilderness season, it’s easy to lose sight of God’s protection, provision, and preparation - we might even wonder, How can I trust God’s goodness when I’m in this desolate place? But remember Jesus! He went through the ultimate wilderness — the desolation and humiliation of dying under the curse of God - if that is the measure of God’s love and commitment to us, we can trust him in our own wilderness seasons. In the space of one chapter, Elijah singlehandedly purifies the nation of idolatry, sparks a grassroots revival among God’s people, and brings the three-and-a-half year drought to an end. Not a bad day! But we often forget Elijah’s ministry didn’t begin that day. Before he could summon fire from heaven at Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18, he had to pass through a painful season out in the wilderness in 1 Kings 17. Wilderness seasons are brutal. But God is powerfully at work in the 1 Kings 17 seasons of our lives. The only question is, do we have eyes to see it? All Alone. In 1 Kings 17:1-6, God sends Elijah to the wilderness to be fed by the ravens. The Lord is sending a drought over the land — an act of judgment on the idolatry Ahab and his Phoenician wife, Jezebel, have introduced to the nation. God gives Elijah power over the rain clouds, but then sends him east of the Jordan to the wilderness where he must drink from a brook.

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When You’re Waiting in the Wilderness

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When we’re in a wilderness season, it’s easy to lose sight of God’s protection, provision, and preparation - we might even wonder, How can I trust God’s goodness when I’m in this desolate place? But remember Jesus! He went through the ultimate wilderness — the desolation and humiliation of dying under the curse of God - if that is the measure of God’s love and commitment to us, we can trust him in our own wilderness seasons

GAVIN ORTLUND

If you had to pick one story in the Bible as a model of “ministry success,” which would you choose?

Personally, I can’t think of anything more dynamic than Elijah’s victory over the false prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18.

In the space of one chapter, the prophet singlehandedly purifies the nation of idolatry, sparks a grassroots revival among God’s people, and brings the three-and-a-half year drought to an end.

Not a bad day!

But we often forget Elijah’s ministry didn’t begin that day.

Before he could summon fire from heaven at Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18, he had to pass through a painful season out in the wilderness in 1 Kings 17. 

In most of our ministries, as in Elijah’s, there will be no 1 Kings 18 power without 1 Kings 17 preparation.

Of course, it’d be nice if ministry meant 1 Kings 18 fire-from-heaven power from start to finish!

But most of our ministries can likely relate better to the metaphors of 1 Kings 17: hanging on until the ravens come again, trusting the jug and jar won’t run out tomorrow, scraping by until the drought finally ends, wondering why God hasn’t removed corrupt Ahab, and, all the while, waiting, waiting, waiting.

Wilderness seasons are brutal.

But God is powerfully at work in the 1 Kings 17 seasons of our lives. The only question is, do we have eyes to see it?

All Alone

In 1 Kings 17:1-6, God sends Elijah to the wilderness to be fed by the ravens.

The Lord is sending a drought over the land — an act of judgment on the idolatry Ahab and his Phoenician wife, Jezebel, have introduced to the nation (1 Kings. 16:30-33).

God gives Elijah power over the rain clouds, but then sends him east of the Jordan to the wilderness where he must drink from a brook.

Imagine how humbling this move would have been!

From the heights of “it won’t rain except by my word” (verse 1) to the depths of “go hide yourself in the wilderness and drink from a brook” (verses 2-5).

One who has power over the highest clouds in the sky has to stoop down to a brook when he’s thirsty.

The most powerful man in the nation lives in total obscurity and almost barbaric conditions.

But as the months dragged on, I bet even worse was the season’s crushing loneliness. “It’s not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18) — yet Elijah’s all alone, day after day, month after month.

I picture him out there, sitting on a rock or hiding in a cave.

He has no idea what’s happening in the outside world (no newspaper delivery at the Cherith brook, I’m guessing).

He must’ve felt forgotten, insignificant, like life had passed him by.

It must’ve been like moving to rural Wyoming when you’re a city person, or posting the biggest news of your life on Facebook and not getting a single “like.”

Beyond the humiliation and loneliness, though, this season must have also been deadeningly boring. Elijah — the mighty, thundering prophet, unafraid to challenge kings and nations — has nothing to do but wait.

He can’t even work for his food!

Further, he’s geographically confined, since he has to stay near the brook.

So, Elijah faces the scorching sun, day after day.

He memorizes what the surrounding trees and sand look like as the months slowly drag on.

He eats the same food (bread and meat), meal after meal after raven-brought meal.

No one to talk to, nothing to do, and nowhere to go.

By the end of this ordeal I picture him looking a bit like Tom Hanks on the island in Cast Away — bleached hair, bushy beard, cracked skin, and a wild look in his eyes.

And then, one day, the brook dries up and God sends Elijah elsewhere.

But there’s no book contract and conference-speaking circuit after the wilderness.

God moves him into another season of waiting and hiding as he lives with the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings. 17:7-24).

His ministry is limited to two people, some of the least esteemed in that culture — a Gentile widow and her son.

And even then, Elijah isn’t allowed to stockpile resources.

In fact, the widow has only a handful of flour and a tiny jar of oil.

Elijah must live by continual faith that the jug and the jar won’t run out.

Protecting, Providing, Preparing

The hope that sustains us in wilderness seasons reminds us that God is there, doing some of his most powerful work.

He’s at work in Elijah’s life in 1 Kings 17 in at least three ways: protection, provision, and preparation.

God was protecting Elijah since Ahab had dispatched spies to kill him (1 Kgs. 18:10); seclusion in the wilderness, then, was the only way he could be safe during this drought.

God was providing for Elijah through the ravens, then through the continual supply of flour and oil at the widow’s house.

The ravens came daily, and the jug and jar never ran out.

It may have been monotonous, but it was also a miracle. It may have felt like dying, but it wasn’t death. God sustained him.

And perhaps most of all, God was preparing him.

Where did Elijah get the faith and courage he needed to stand against all the false prophets of Baal in chapter 18?

Those years waiting on God, experiencing his faithful care amid difficulty, must have solidified Elijah’s faith and resolve like a diamond.

When we’re in a wilderness season, it’s easy to lose sight of God’s protection, provision, and preparation.

We might even wonder, How can I trust God’s goodness when I’m in this desolate place? 

But remember Jesus! He went through the ultimate wilderness — the desolation and humiliation of dying under the curse of God.

If that is the measure of God’s love and commitment to us, we can trust him in our own wilderness seasons.

God-Centered Ministry Perspective

This chapter, 1 Kings 17, prods us toward God-centeredness in our evaluation as well as our execution of ministry — in both our perspective and also our performance.

It reminds us “ministry success” is ultimately defined as faithfulness to God’s calling, whether the calling involves harnessing 1 Kings 18 power or doggedly hanging on until 1 Kings 17 ends.

To be sure, we want our lives to be maximally fruitful for kingdom work.

We feel urgently that “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Matthew 9:37).

But God knows better than we do.

What if Elijah had concluded that waiting for the ravens wasn’t bearing enough fruit, and walked away from God’s call?

He’d likely have never survived to see Mount Carmel.

Faithfully executing God’s calling in modest ministry contexts isn’t selling out.

If God’s calling has led you there, then the wilderness is the surest route to real kingdom work.

It may feel random, but each moment is God’s design.

It may seem like the end of your story, but it’s really the only way the story goes forward.

It may taste like death, but it’s actually the path of life.

If God has called you into a wilderness season, don’t give up.

In that dry, choking place, in that season of barely hanging on, remember God is watching over you.

Look for ravens.

Trust the jug and the jar won’t run out.

And know he’s using this difficult season to prepare for you things ahead — things sometimes far greater than you could ever achieve without the pain you’re now walking through.

Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is a husband, father, pastor, and writer. He serves as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Ojai in Ojai, California. Gavin blogs regularly at Soliloquium. He is the author of Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals: Why We Need Our Past to Have a Future (Crossway, 2019) and Finding the Right Hills to Die on: The Case for Theological Triage (Crossway/TGC, 2020). You can follow him on Twitter.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/when-youre-waiting-in-the-wilderness/