Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!” (1 Kings 17:1 NLT)
I think Ecclesiastes 3:1 says it best, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." Sometimes, there is a season of drought.
Six years ago, when I decided to leave New Jersey and moved to Florida, I experienced what can be classified as a drough season. There were moments when I felt alone. I missed my family, friends, my job and the only way I knew to fight what I was feeling was to bury myself in God. So, I began my search for a new church. After being in my previous church for almost eighteen years, I was looking for something similar to what I left in New Jersey but that "thing" I was searching for could not be found. I visited a few churches, then found one I decided to settle on. Two years passed before God told me again it was time to leave this church and so my search began again. After three years in Florida and around 20 churches later, I became so frustrated. It seemed like every church was either all about worship or all about Word. There was no church that had a healthy balance of both. In the year 2015, I barely went to church. I became comfortable streaming with my church in New Jersey and watching other preachers on YouTube or other online sources. During that time, my faith became stronger and stronger so I stayed there until God said it was time to search again. January 2016, I found my new church home. It wasn't perfect, as a matter of fact I didn't want to stay but it was there that God said stop looking for that "thing" and BE that "thing."
That was not the only time in my life that I felt like I was experiencing a drought. There are other times when I recall the dryness, loneliness, aloneness and the quietness of being in a drought. As I read 1 Kings 17 and 18, I realized that Elijah not only prophesied the drought but he also lived through it. Sometimes you will go through experiences simply because God is using you to reveal Himself to others (#justsaying). The thing is, Elijah survived the drought with God by his side. In 1 Kings 17:2 God said to Elijah, “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.” My Bible says that the ravens brought Elijah meat to eat every morning AND evening AND he drank from the brook. Eventually, the brook dried up but God still looked after His prophet. In Kings 17:8 God tells Elijah, “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.” You see, God made sure His servant was provided for as he too was going through the same drought he prophesied. However, in this case, God not only provided for Elijah, He made provisions for the widow and her household as well. This shows me that God will not only provide for you during your drought season but He can also use you to bless someone else during your drought.
Here's the thing that we need to keep in mind... IT IS ONLY FOR A SEASON! Yes, it may seem like nothing is happening right now. Yes, you may be frustrated or tired. You may feel like God abandoned you or left you for dead because you can't see any change in the near future but if you read on to 1 Kings 18, you'll see that this is not the end of the story. Verse 1 says, "Later on, in the third year of the drought, the Lord said to Elijah, 'Go and present yourself to King Ahab. Tell him that I will soon send rain!'" Now while Elijah was on his way to give this news to the king, the drought became even more severe and Ahab became even more desperate, commanding others to search for water. The end to your drought is on the way and you may not even know it because you are too busy looking at your current circumstances.
When Elijah finally met with King Ahab, they had a moment on Mount Carmel where the people saw God's power for themselves, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!” (verse 39) Now that God's purpose was accomplished and the people believed, Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” Did you catch that? Elijah didn't say "I see rain" or "I feel the rain." He said "There is a SOUND of abundance of rain." Yet he's telling them to go celebrate. The rain isn't there yet but he told them to eat and drink.
My dear friends, I am hear to tell you that your drought season is almost over. I can hear the SOUND of rain coming and it is time to get out of your funk and celebrate. If you look back, you will notice that God has been providing for you the entire time you felt abandoned. You are alive! You still have breath in your lungs! You have food or water! God knew what you needed all along and He provided it. You made it through and now God is saying "CELEBRATE" because your drought is almost over. I've heard the old saints say it like this, "Don't wait until the battle is over, you can shout right now!" You don't have to wait until your drought is over, celebrate now! Don't wait until you see the cloud or feel the rain. Get up and rejoice in the Lord! For HE is good and worthy to be praised. He will never leave you or forsake you. He will not abandon you in the time of your struggle. He was always, is always and will always be there.
After reading 1 Kings 17 and 18, did you see what God did during the drought? HE:
Placed Elijah in position where he would have the king's ear
Used Elijah to prophesy to a nation
Provided food, drink and shelter for Elijah
Sent Elijah to a widow in Zarephath who was in desperate need
Miraculously provided for the widow and her household
Raised her son from the dead after he died from an illness
Increase the faith of the widow and her household
Gave Elijah authority before the king (At this point whatever Elijah instructed, King Ahab did)
Proved Himself to be the ONLY true God on Mount Carmel
Revealed Himself and many came to know and believe in Him
Showed Himself to be ALL powerful. After all He could control the rain and fire.
There is so much more to glean from this passage of scripture, but what I want you to see is that your drought is not only about you. As Elijah experienced this time of drought, look at how many others were blessed in the process. Look at the miracles that took place. Have faith in God because what He is doing in you, through you and around you, is much bigger than your eyes can see.
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