Thursday, 14 September 2023
“So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan.”
Desert seasons prepare us for our promised land!
Elijah was unknown.
Elijah was alone.
Elijah didn't have a job.
Elijah didn’t have a salary.
Elijah was waiting for God to guide him to the next step.
Elijah was reliant on God to feed him.
Elijah had few resources.
Elijah was not touring the world preaching.
Elijah had nothing exciting to post about on Instagram or Facebook.
Elijah was probably single and with no one to mingle.
Elijah was not surrounded by a community of fellow prophets.
Elijah was in hiding from King Ahab.
Elijah was probably hated by a large number of Israelites who were suffering because of the drought Elijah prophesied.
Those three years must have been stretching, to say the least, for Elijah. Isolated, anonymous, threatened, and fed the same food for 3 years (for a lover of food that is bad!).
In these three years, Elijah had no one but God. So he took that season and learned from God. He learned that God is the God who can be trusted. He learned that he is the God who provides. He is the God who listens. He is the God who is a friend to the friendless.
Based on what happened in Elijah’s heart, and his response to God, during these three years, Elijah was able to walk into the widow’s life and boldly and full of faith tell her that the oil and the bread won’t run out and then a while later raise her son from the dead!
Desert seasons often prepare us for our promised land. They make us depend on God alone so that when we are in certain positions or platforms of influence we remember who our source is and we stay away from the temptation to let people or things take the place of God.
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