Hidden Away

Before God sent Elijah to the Kerith Ravine, Elijah had just declared that there would be no rain. God had shut up the sky. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah. God said to “leave,” then to “turn,” and to “hide.” 

I had always thought that the water God provided Elijah was a brook. I had pictured a bubbling brook of fresh water. I had thought that it was a never-ending supply. But the scripture says it was a ravine, a gully, a sedentary, temporary container for the water which God intended to supply. 

Since we know God wouldn’t send any more rain, that ravine would only stay full of water for a limited amount of time, and then it would dry up.

I think it's important to note that Elijah goes where God tells him to go, and he stays where God puts him. That's hard for us sometimes, I think. He went from this very prominent ministry to being hidden away by himself, just being fed by the ravens that God sent and drinking the water from the ravine. 

To be honest, Elijah was exhausted, and he welcomed this rest that God was giving him in this season. God knew that Elijah was afraid and that he was tired. 

If God sends you to a place of rest for your good, cut off from everything, it is because he knows that you need it and because He's providing for you for your next season 

The scripture says,” And so he did what the Lord told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, East of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the ravine.” (1 Kings 17:5-6) 

Elijah was afraid. He was running from king Ahab, and God sent him to a quiet place and provided for all of his needs. Even the Hebrew meaning of the word “Kerith” is “to be cut off”! This was most definitely an “on-purpose” time for Elijah. A gift from God. Elijah was exhausted and anxious, he gladly followed God’s leading. He welcomed the rest, the nourishment, and the seclusion. 

The ministry God had called Elijah to as a prophet was a difficult one. God knew this, and He continued to supply Elijah’s needs until the water dried up. A predestined time God had created for Elijah to move on.

I am just leaving my “Kerith Ravine” season. And as I do, I can now see all God was doing for me. God was preparing me in many ways for my next season of ministry. 

God had put a limit on this time, a clock ticking on this hiding place, a season’s beginning and end all established by Him. The word says that when the ravine dried up, God commanded Elijah to “Go to Zarephath in Sidon and stay there. There is a widow there that I commanded to take care of you.”  (1 Kings 17:9) Catch this: God was sending him to a whole new place of provision to minister in an entirely new way. 

Elijah went and met the widow, and this began a season of miracles God empowered him to perform on His behalf! We never know what God has for us until we arrive at our next destination. What we do know is that God will be with us and provide perfectly! 

From provision to provision, we go; in each season of our lives, God provides exactly what we need!