When One Door Closes | 1 Kings 17:5–7

“So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land.” (1 Kings 17:5–7 NLT)

Elijah proclaimed to King Ahab that a drought would strike the land and would continue for years until he, Elijah, called an end to it—at the Lord’s direction, of course. After Elijah made his proclamation, the Lord gave him these instructions: “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” (1 Kings 17:3–4 NLT).

That was quite a turnaround. One day Elijah was boldly issuing a proclamation to a king; the next day he was hiding out by a brook. Elijah “did as the Lord told him” (verse 5 NLT), but he must have been a little bewildered.

Elijah made do for a while. “The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land” (verses 6–7 NLT).

The brook dried up. Those are ominous words for someone whose survival seemed to depend on the brook. Elijah is certainly not the only Bible character to face such a defining—and potentially defeating—moment. Abraham and Sarah’s “brook dried up” when they found themselves childless in old age. Joseph’s “brook dried up” when he was sold into slavery by his brothers. Moses’ “brook dried up” when he killed an Egyptian official and became a fugitive. The apostle Peter’s “brook dried up” when he denied knowing Jesus three times. The disciples’ “brook dried up” when Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” and gave up His life on the cross.

Maybe you’ve had a brook dry up in your life as well. Maybe one day your partner said, “I’m leaving. I don’t want to be with you anymore.” And just like that, your relationship was over.

Maybe you got a call from the place you’ve worked for twenty years: “Sorry, we’re downsizing.” And just like that, you’re unemployed. Your brook dried up.

But what seems like the end of the world may, in fact, be a new beginning. When God closes one door, He opens another. Elijah was about to discover this fact.

God was getting him ready, step by step, challenge by challenge. Big things were coming. The next phase was about to start. It’s the same with you. If you’ve been told to head for the hills and be fed by birds, so to speak, if your brook has dried up, if a door has closed in your life, don’t think God is done with you. Just trust Him. He may be getting you ready for phase two. He may be whipping you into shape for something beyond your wildest dreams.

As the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (NLT).

Reflection question: How can you keep a proper perspective when a door closes in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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