FOLLOWING GOD TO HIS PLACE OF PROVISION
OPENING COMMENTS: Increasingly there seems to be this idea among Christians that we can go wherever we want and do whatever we want, and yet still be in the will of God. Too often we become out own “lords”, making our own decisions without consulting and seeking God only to find that we end up lost, dried up, starving and stranded along the way. We often then turn and blame God when in reality it is our own fault for not first seeking and then listening to Him. This is often what happens when we move forward without seeking the will and direction of the Lord. However, I want you to know today that there is a “perfect” will of God where He sustains you with His provisions. There is a time to move in a direction and remain there until God says otherwise and yet we need to seek His will in order to know and find that direction. Elijah was a man of like circumstances, as we will see.
TEXT: 1 KINGS 16:30-33 AND 1 KINGS CHAPTER 17
1 KINGS 16: 30-33 - Here we see that King Ahab was an evil King and in a short time God would pronounce judgment upon Elijah, his land and his people.
VS 1 – Elijah the prophet is then dispatched to King Ahab to bring him a message of judgment and just concludes completion of an assignment by God. His mission was to go to evil King Ahab and pronounce or prophesy that there would be no dew or rain in the land except by his word. This meant drought. With drought there is a shortage of water and along with a shortage of water is the inability to grow crops, which results in starvation and famine for anyone living in that land….including Elijah.
VS 2-6– God in His faithfulness always provides for us. Here he provides for Elijah by sending him east of the Jordan to the brook of Cherith. We can learn a few things here immediately:
a. God will direct a person from one place to another in His timing. In Psalm 37:23 the bible tells us that the steps of a man are ordered by the Lord.
b. God will direct a person to exactly where He wants that person to go. In this case, it was a very small and very specific place.
c. God will sustain a person with all he or she needs to have to live and get by on when they go to the place of provision. In this case, Elijah’s food and drink was provided for him at the brook of Cherith.
d. Had Elijah been disobedient to God and gone elsewhere he may very well have starved. Had he remained where he was, against God’s will, he would have starved and died of thirst for sure.
e. How often do we do what we want to do without ever consulting the Lord?
f. How often do we disregard what we know in our heart to be the will and Word of the Lord and then suffer the consequences later?
g. How often do we rebel against God by neglecting to follow the advice of our pastors when they have been appointed over us to help us in finding God’s will?
VS 7 – Elijah had been sustained during a period of drought and famine at the Brook of Cherith, but one day the brook dried up.
a. As Christians, God will sustain us in a certain place, doing a certain thing or ministry. But He will also dry up the provision at times and let us know it is time to move on.
b. In this story, we recall Elijah was first sent to prophesy against King Ahab. Then for his own safety and for his provision, the Lord directed him to another place…the brook of Cherith…to sustain him there. I want you to be careful at this point and listen to what I am saying. These moves were for a purpose. God has purpose in mind…ministry in mind for Elijah. God had tasks for him to do. No Christian should make the mistake of taking these scriptures to justify hopping from church to church, doing their own thing and never being planted under any spiritual authority. The Bible says that God places us in the body where it pleases Him. (1 Cor. 12:18) These scriptures mean exactly the opposite of doing whatever you want to do. In these scriptures the point is that Elijah sought the Lord, was in tune with God and was specifically directed to certain places and to perform certain ministries.
c. It is also important to note that sometimes God sends us somewhere for a time of refreshing. After Elijah had prophesied against King Ahab, the Lord sent him to the brook to simply be fed and have drink supplied to him. It was a time of nourishment…not a time of ministry. Sometimes there is a waiting period that takes place as we transition from one place to another or from one assignment in the Lord to another. We must be willing to see that. When we do not see that and refuse to acknowledge God’s will in such a matter, then this is when we sometimes “burn out”. God has our best interests at heart.
VS 8-9 – Here we see that after the brook dried up, the Lord spoke to Elijah and basically told him it was time to move on.
a. Imagine what might have happened if the brook had not dried up? Elijah may have been quite content to stay right there and never leave.
b. God sometimes will allow things in our lives to dry up also in order to get us out of our comfort zones and move us to the next level of ministry we are to be in.
c. But note that when the brook did dry up, God did not just leave Elijah hanging and without direction. No. Instead he then spoke to him and again, very specifically, told him where to go and where his next place of provision would be. God will never close a door in your life without giving you direction to the next open door. However, you must be willing to seek Him.
d. God’s next place of direction and provision for Elijah was Zarapeth, where God told Elijah a widow would provide for him. Had he instead gone to the local McDonalds in the area, I believe Elijah still would have starved. You have to go where the Lord directs you, do what He tells you to do and He will provide for you there.
VS 10-12 – Elijah goes to Zarapeth and is directed to the widow who is to provide for him, but she has no food!
a. We see a very important lesson here. The lesson is that in our walk with God, we have to exercise faith that He will provide for us when it is He who directs us. This cannot be overemphasized enough. Faith in God’s provision where he does not direct us. In contrast, is actually not faith at all. It is presumption. But when God has directed us to a specific place for a purpose, we can have faith and know we will see the answer because we are being obedient to His word over our lives. Here Elijah’s faith was immediately tested. He is directed to go to this city, meet a certain woman who will provide food for him, but when he gets there she has no food. Elijah’s response is very interesting, as we will see.
VS 13 –16 - Elijah’s provisions are still met because of His faith in the Lord’s word to him.
a. We see an important key in verse 13. After the woman who was supposed to provide food to him said she had none and feared herself that she and her son may die of starvation, Elijah said, “Do not fear”. You should know today that whenever you seek God and do according to His will for your life, no matter how contrary the circumstances seem to be, there is no reason to fear. You can have perfect faith when you are in God’s will and know that no matter how impossible things look, God will provide for you. Note that this was not only the case for Elijah but also for the woman whom he met at Zarapath, She too had a divine appointment where when she met the man of God and walked in faith and obedience, her own needs were met. God does at times use others to meet our own needs.
CLOSING COMMENTS: I want you to know today that when you seek the Lord for direction and obtain that direction, the place where He directs you will always be your place of provision for that time. We must seek God and get rid of the independent spirit that says, “I can do what I want, wherever I want and and go where I want.” No, God may have quite a different plan and your own needs will be met in your submission and obedience to Him. He must truly become Lord of our lives and we must be willing to follow Him. Then and only then will we see adequate provision.
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