1 Kings 17:2-6 And the word of the LORD came to him: 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Before God’s servants can stand in high places before men, they must first bow low before Him. Elijah, fresh from proclaiming God’s judgment to Ahab, might have felt indispensable to God’s plan. Yet the following command was unexpected: “Hide yourself.” The brook Cherith became Elijah’s place of humbling, where pride was stripped away, self-reliance was broken, and his soul learned the sweetness of depending on God alone.
So it is with us. We are often too eager, too confident in our own strength, too certain of our usefulness. But in His wisdom, God leads us to our own Cheriths–hidden places where we learn to trust Him afresh.
Shabbat is our Cherith, week after week–not just a pause from labor, but a posture of the soul that says, “I trust You.” It is God’s invitation: “Cease striving. Rest by the brook. Let Me supply your need.” Like Elijah, we cannot stand on Carmel in victory until we have first knelt at Cherith in surrender.
Even at Cherith, the brook dried up. Day after day, Elijah watched the stream diminish until the final drop was gone. But God had not forsaken him. The drying brook taught Elijah to trust–not in the gift, but in the Giver. It revealed a more profound truth: when one source runs dry, God opens another.
So it is with us. We, too, find ourselves beside drying brooks–when health fades, resources run low, friendships waver, or doors of opportunity close. In those moments, God invites us into deeper rest, into stillness of soul, into unwavering trust. “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my hope is from Him” (Psalm 62:5). His living water never fails. His grace flows, undiminished by the thirst of generations, unwearied through the ages. The promises of Yeshua (Jesus) remain true, especially in our Cherith moments: “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” (John 4:14).
If you find yourself beside a drying brook—take heart! God has not forgotten you. This is not the end. Beyond Cherith lies Zarephath. Beyond this wilderness, fresh provision, new purpose, and greater power await. Hear His voice above the silence: Rest in Me. Trust in Me.
Shabbat is His gift—a holy invitation to be renewed, strengthened, and refreshed. Like Elijah at Cherith, hide yourself in Him. Trust His miraculous provision, even when it comes in ways you never expected—as when ravens fed the prophet in his secret refuge. The God who sustained Elijah will sustain you. His grace still flows. His living water has not run dry.
Now is the time to be refreshed and renewed—for Cherith and Zarephath were God’s training ground for triumph on Carmel, where the prophets of Baal were crushed and a nation was turned back to God. But it all began with Elijah first learning the lessons of surrender and trust at Cherith!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Worthy News recently covered a story about the impact of prayer in the lives of the everyday American. As I read through the poll, I was shocked at how little Americans pray. In these days, prayer simply must become an essential in our daily walk. Pondering this, I realized I’ve never done an in-depth series on prayer, its importance, and how to be an effective prayer warrior. This will be the first in a series of devotions discussing this important subject — prayer and intercession.
Traveling across America in this climate of national stress, I’ve been repeatedly shocked to witness violent atrocities against the United States government. While many of the protests have been peaceful demonstrations, numerous others have been characterized by a level of violent and seemingly vengeful anger, involving intentional destruction of property with losses in the millions of dollars.
In the days of the wilderness wanderings, the children of Israel trembled in the sight of God … and said to Moses, "You go and speak to God for us; and we will listen to you". However, in these days, we can’t be like the children of Israel and say to someone else … "Go and speak to God for me, and tell me what the Lord is saying!" And though we don't ignore prophetic voices, (we test them), if we are born again and have His Holy Spirit, we can receive communication direct... from the Lord, Himself. With troubles and dangers on the rise, we each need to cultivate a sensitivity to His Spirit, the ability to hear His inner voice. No, I'm not talking (necessarily) about an audible voice, but a spiritual sensitivity that will navigate us around the landmines which surround us.
It’s a sad thing, as we’ve been traveling, to discover the number of congregations that have split over non-Biblical issues. I’ve heard nightmare stories of congregations splitting over the color of carpet! I find it amazing how easily the enemy can work his way into the body of Messiah and operate in the fleshly realm. The success level of his diabolical tactics is embarrassing and infuriating, and I want to implore my brothers and sisters to awaken to this damaging process, to gain an understanding of Satan’s strategies, and reverse this destructive pattern.
Carl Armerding wrote a funny story in Moody Monthly, about his experience at the zoo. “As I stood there,” he said, “an attendant entered the cage through a door on the opposite side. He had nothing in his hands but a broom.
In my travels across the United States, I’ve come to a greater understanding of the racial divisions which seem to characterize much of the restlessness in America. While I was in Little Rock, Arkansas I spent time with a black pastor who was taught of the true legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. While historians will rightly record MLK as a civil rights leader, he was first and foremost a Baptist pastor, and was a biblical rights leader who saw that, in the Kingdom of God … there is NO RACE! That was the revelation which inspired MLK to speak out against the social injustice of his generation.
As we’ve been traveling across the United States, one of the messages we’ve been carrying is being a minister of reconciliation for bringing restoration of relationship between parties that have been divided and wounded.