I know it’s been a while (imagine me covering my face in shyness🙈😂), and there are so many things I’ve learnt within this period of silence that I cant wait to share with you. But i’ll start with a lesson i’ve learnt which I’ll summarize as the “Brook of Cherith”, from 1 Kings 17:2-7.
Get away
“Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.””
I Kings 17:2-4 NKJV
To sum it up, the great prophet Elijah had to go into hiding for a period after speaking boldly to King Ahab. Sometimes, we’ll need to get away, but that doesn’t mean a complete disconnection from everything around us. Rather, it’s a time of growth and refinement. In that period, we will feel afraid and uncertain. But that’s when we’ll really understand what it means to wait.
Radio silence
The Brook of Cherith signifies a period in our lives…a period of hiding, preparation, and sometimes even complete silence. It’s a place where our trust in God is tested and renewed. It’s like “God, are you there?”, and all we get is radio silence. But that doesn’t mean He isn’t there or no longer cares.
It’s in those times we need to intentionally shift our focus to what God has said in the first place. We may have received so many promises, while our present circumstances seem far from it. But like a song I just discovered says, “He has never failed, and He won’t start now.”
He will provide
Even in the Brook of Cherith, God still provides. Have you ever wondered where something you were waiting on was going to come from, but someway somehow, God came through when you least expected it?
“So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.”
I Kings 17:5-7 NKJV
Oops…at a point, the Brook dried up. Somehow, that reminded me of the importance of saving and preparing for the future. As Christians especially, we need to walk in prudence and wisdom, so even in the dry moments, we’ll still stand. I know they say it’s not your chilling money that will build your dream house at your dream location😂, but you can certainly start small. God will always guide us to the next step to take, like he did to Elijah, and provision will come when we least expect it, and sometimes through the least expected vessels:
““Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.””
I Kings 17:9 NKJV
In hiding
There will be times we will have to hide ourselves. And in those times there’ll be so many questions with no immediate answers. But I’m here to remind you that your moment of clarity will come.
Sometimes you may want to go off completely, no social media, nothing. But while in your Brook of Cherith, don’t allow the enemy to push you into a corner of isolation as isolating you may give him a chance to play with your mind.
In your Brook of Cherith, don’t be afraid to reach out to God and tell him how you really feel. Have a real talk with Him. God why? What next? What’s the bigger picture out of all this? Although you may not be able to see him physically, He’s right there through everything. And at the right time, He’s going to show you off…for you’re His Masterpiece; the great work He’s taking His time to renew and refine. Everything will make sense.
A time of favor
When the favor you’ve been trusting in God for comes, will you be ready? What will be the first thing you’ll do?
Your Brook of Cherith moments will never go to waste. You’ll come back stronger, and It’ll be a thing of beauty that will encourage others. Let me leave you with the lyrics of a song I’ve come to love:
We are pressed on every side, but we won’t be shaken
Come what will, come what may
We are not forsaken…
We have hope in Jesus
(Our) Present Help, and Redeemer
As long as I am still breathing
There is hope in Jesus…
(We have hope by Tribl Music, ft. Joe L. Barnes, Jonathan Traylor & Lizzie Morgan)
Background picture for feature photo: Sir Sterlin
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