When the Creek Dries Up

Daily Devotions from Lessons On Living
Title: When the Creek Dries Up
Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living from Elijah

1 Kings 17:6-7
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.

When the Creek Dries Up
John Brenz, a friend of Martin Luther, was hated by Emperor Charles V. He often tried to kill Brenz and on one occasion sent a troop of cavalrymen to arrest him. Hearing about the plot, Brenz took a loaf of bread and went to a nearby town, where he hid in a hayloft. He was there for 14 days. Obviously one loaf of bread was not enough for two weeks. But each day a hen came into the loft and laid an egg without cackling. In this way the Lord kept John Brenz alive. On the 15th day the hen did not show up. It seemed like the one lifeline he had clung to had been severed. As he was wondering what he would do without food, John heard the people in the streets below say, "The cavalrymen are gone at last!"

Elijah also experienced what appeared to be the loss of an essential lifeline. God had sent him out into the wilderness and provided food through the ministry of ravens and water from a small creek. But then a difficult situation became worse. As the drought continued, the brook dried up. At first glance, it might seem that God no longer cared about what happened to His prophet. Instead, God chose to provide in a different way and graciously directed him to the home of a widow in the city of Zarephath (v. 9).

Perhaps you feel that your creek also has dried up. The friend who has been your source of refreshment in a spiritual desert has moved away. The person who has been your lifeline at work has taken a new job. Whatever the case, trust God to provide through another source. It may be far different from what met your need before, but remember, God will not fail you.

When God closes a door, He always opens a window.