June 12, 2005

 

When the Brook Dries Up

I Kings 17: 1-7

Introduction

My family asked the question why in June of 1983. My Uncle Bob had flown his private plane for years, without mishap.  No could have been more careful. However on that day the engine stalled on take off. In a matter of seconds he was gone and our lives would never be the same.  With him he took his daughter-in-law, Jill, my cousin's wife and her two brothers.  It was a dark day in my family and we still wrestle with that accident.  Everyone wondered why God would let such a thing happen? We still do.

This is my question for you today. Have you ever asked God why? I have never met a person this side of kindergarten that has not asked the question why? We all wonder why God lets certain things happen.  Our world can be a painful place and if you want to survive in this world as a Christian then you better have a well-developed theology of suffering.  This sermon is for anyone who has ever asked the question, "Why?”

Body

We are going to be instructed today by the seventeenth chapter of I Kings. The main character in the story is Elijah. Before we dig into the text, itself, let us look at his background one more time. I will be brief.  He lived in a time when the United Kingdom of the twelve tribes was divided.  There is the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Elijah lived in the Northern Kingdom of Israel under the rule of King Ahab.

The Bible tells us that that Northern Kingdom of Israel lasted two hundred years.  In that two hundred year period there were nineteen different kings.  Each one was sinful in the eyes of God. However, of all nineteen kings, Ahab was the most sinful. His main problem was his wife, Jezebel.  She is the one who introduces the false god, Baal, to God's chosen people.  Let there be no doubt about, those were dark days for the faithful. The gap between God and people had never been wider.  It would take a special person to speak for God.  We understand that special person to be Elijah.  With this understanding, let us look at the first seven verses of chapter seventeen together.

Verse one gives us a lot of information.  Verse one tells us the prophet’s name and where he is from.  Elijah means, “The Lord is my God.” He is from

Tishbite.  Now there is a problem here.  The exact location of Tishbite is unknown to our world, but it is safe to say that it was some backwoods location.  Elijah is not a refined gentleman of the royal courts.  Elijah is a rugged individual, who knows how to survive in the wilderness. That is an important thing to know.  You will find out why in a few seconds.

Verse one also tells us that Elijah is not a coward.  He gets a special audience before the evil king and queen and tells them that the Lord is not pleased.  To show his displeasure; the Lord is going to withhold the rain and the dew.  The land is going to dry up.  It is not just going to be a dry week or month.  It is not just going to be a dry hot summer.  There is not going to be any rain or dew for years.  This is not something that the royal couple wants to hear.

In verse three the plot thickens.  In that verse we are told God throws Elijah a curve ball.  He must have assumed that he was to go toe to toe with Ahab and Jezebel.  That is what prophets do.  They stand in front of people and speak on behalf of God.  But this is not what this prophet is supposed to do.  God tells this prophet to go and hide.  Verse three says Elijah is directed by God to go to a remote area and hide.  God will take care of him.  He can drink from the brook and the raven will be his catering service.  Why does God instruct Elijah to hide?  There are two reasons.  First, God is protecting his prophet from the evil couple.  Second, God is training Elijah for his future task.  In this remote area Elijah lives and life is good.  Then it happens.

One day he wakes up and strolls over to the stream for a little drink.  The prophet notices that the water seems a little shallow.  Over the next few days he watches it dwindle and shrink.  The once gushing stream is now a single trickle of water. A short time later all the water is gone. The brook has dried up.  All he can do is stand there and remember when the water flowed freely. This is a hard time for Elijah. You cannot live without water.

Have you ever been there? Have you been there when the brooks of life dry up?  You knew the joy of a full bank account and a successful business.  Then, the business went bad and the money was gone.  The brook dried up.  At one time you took good health for granted, but now spend all your time waiting to see doctors.  The brook dried up.  You went to work everyday, then we were victimized by something called downsizing.  You found yourself looking for a new job, because the brook dried up.  Your life partner has grown indifferent and asked you for a divorce.  The brook dried up.  Your once busy home now sits quiet, because the kids are now in their fifties.  The brook has dried up.  I have never met a person, who has not experienced that dry brook.  And when the brook is dry we ask God that question, “Why?”  Why doesn’t the all-powerful let the water keep flowing?  Why does God let bad things happen to you and me?  Why does life have to be filled with hardships?  Elijah was doing the will of God and he was still in a tough spot.  It doesn’t seem fair.  Does that sound familiar? Have you ever asked God why?

In this passage God gives us three answers to the question why. Three lessons that you can help use to survive those dry brook experiences in your life.  Three reasons why God lets the brooks dry up in our lives.  Let us look at them one by one.

Answer Number One: We must be as willing to be set aside as we are to be used. Elijah was ready to stand there and go toe to toe with Ahab and Jezebel, but God pulled him to one side.  God pulled him aside to protect and instruct him.  God did not expect Elijah to do it all by himself.  Elijah had to learn to trust God and so do we.  I see it all the time.

During times of hardships we always turn to God.  Most of the people I run with know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  It is a rare day when I meet an unsaved person.  Usually it is in the funeral home.  My phone rings and a loved one has died.  There is a family in need of my services.  They have no church but they want to send the mother off in a proper way.  I go to the funeral home and I meet the kids.  They tell me Mom was a good lady. Everyone liked her.  She cared for all the sick family members.  She believed in God, but she never went to church.  It is at this point that I tell them that it is not enough to simply believe in God.  Jesus must be their Lord and Savior.  In their time of need they are open and they ask me questions about Jesus.  People always want to know about Jesus during hardships.  During times of hardships we always turn to God.  That is answer number one to our why question; we must be as willing to be set aside as used. It teaches us to trust. If you thing you can remember this point then say, “Amen!”

Answer Number Two: Hardships force us to try new things. God told Elijah to go to the brook and he would care for him.  He drank from the brook and the raven brought him sandwiches everyday.  It may not be in the usual way, but God will provide.  How often has God surprised you in your life?  When the brook dries up we forget the old patterns of life and try new things.  After all we are people of habit.

Do you remember the story of It Is Toward Evening?  It was written by Vance Havner and tells about cotton farmers.  They had grown cotton their entire lives. They would have continued to grow cotton, but the boll weevil showed up one day. They couldn’t grow cotton anymore.  So they tried something new.  They grew peanuts and they made more money growing peanuts than they ever made growing cotton.  Hardships force us out of our of old habits and we learn new things.  That is answer number two to our why question; hardships force us to try new things. If you think you can remember this point then say, “Amen!”

Answer Number Three: We must learn to trust God one day at a time.  Verse six says the ravens showed up with sandwiches every morning and every evening.  It does not say that the ravens arrived one day with a year’s worth of sandwiches, so Elijah did not have to worry about the future.  It says that the ravens showed up every day, twice a day.  Elijah learned to trust God one day at a time.  There is a lesson there for us.

Most of the things that we worry about never happen!  How much time do you spend worrying?  I have a friend that worries about everything.  She worries about her kids.  She worries about her health.  She worries about her parents and her job.  She worries about her roof and there is nothing wrong with her roof.  She spends the whole day worrying.  Satan must be happy with her.  She is more depressed everyday and she is not able to see what she has in this world.  May we praise God for everyday of life.  Elijah trusted God one day at a time.  That is answer number three to our why question; we must learn to trust God one day at a time. If you think you can remember this point then say, “Amen!”

Conclusion

In June of 1983 we gathered as a family to say, “Good-bye” to my Uncle Bob. The engine of his plane stalled on take off. Our hearts were broken and we all asked why? I didn’t have an answer that day but I do now. I have three answers. Answer Number One: We must be as willing to be set aside as we are to be used. Answer Number Two: Hardships force us to try new things. Answer Number Three: We must learn to trust God one day at a time.   I really miss like this guy Elijah.  He has been where we are. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”