When the Brook Runs Dry

 

Dear Reader, 

Today, I have been reflecting on Elijah in 1 Kings 17. 

Many of us remember the ravens bringing bread and meat to the prophet as he hid beside the Brook Cherith. It was a remarkable miracle, but something else stood out to me. 

Eventually, the brook ran dry. 

Imagine what Elijah may have thought as he watched the water slowly recede. Each day, the stream grew smaller until no water remained. 

Had God forgotten him? 

Had Elijah done something wrong? 

Had the miracle ended? 

The answer was no. 

The brook dried up because God was preparing Elijah for what came next. 

At times, we face our own drying brooks. A job ends. A relationship changes. A season passes. A source of comfort disappears. What once sustained us no longer can. 

In recovery, we often learn that old solutions eventually stop working. What we once relied on cannot carry us where God is leading us. 

We may be tempted to believe we have been abandoned. 

But Elijah's story offers another possibility. 

Perhaps a drying brook is not proof of God's absence, but a sign of His guidance. 

The same God who sent ravens also sent Elijah to a widow in Zarephath. The same God who provided water at Cherith provided meal and oil in a distant village. What seemed like an ending became a new beginning. 

There is another lesson here as well. 

Elijah was obedient when the brook was flowing, but he also had to be obedient when the brook stopped flowing. 

Sometimes we pray for God to restore the brook, while God is preparing us to leave it. 

Elijah's faith was not only demonstrated by staying at Cherith when God commanded him to stay. It was also demonstrated by leaving when God commanded him to go. 

There are seasons in life when faith means remaining steadfast. There are other seasons when faith means moving forward. Wisdom is learning the difference. 

Faith is not believing every brook will flow forever. Faith is trusting that when one brook runs dry, God already knows where the next source of living water can be found. 

Recovery has taught me that I do not need to see the whole path. I need only enough light for today's step and enough faith to trust that God is already preparing tomorrow. 

The scriptures repeatedly remind us of this truth. Through Isaiah, the Lord declared: 

"Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing..." (Isaiah 43:18–19) 

And in the Book of Mormon we are taught: 

"Ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." (Ether 12:6) 

Like Elijah, we are often asked to trust before we can see what lies ahead. 

When the brook runs dry, do not lose heart. 

The God who led you there is still leading you forward. 

Amen. 

🙏🧘‍♂️💕🤗☮️