Dried Up Brooks

And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
1 Kings 17:7

Late one evening, businessman Allan Emery checked into a hotel after a long, delayed flight, and he was discouraged. He expected to lose his best customer the next day. Preparing for bed, Emery opened his Bible and said, “Lord, if You have something to say to me, some encouragement, let me have it now.” He turned to the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 17 and read about how Elijah’s brook dried up. But the Lord had another mission for Elijah, and he was soon in Zarephath, witnessing another miracle that kept a family alive—a bin of flour that was never used up and a jar of oil that never ran dry. When the brook ran dry, the jar of oil started flowing.

God never leaves us stranded, forsaken, or abandoned. If the brook dries up, it’s because He has a jar of oil waiting for us. When a disappointment strikes us, we must trust Him for the next move. When a dream crashes around us, look for God’s direction and a new challenge.

There is always a next step with God; and there are always new blessings—grace upon grace—to claim from His guiding hand.

In the twenty years since that night I have had numerous “dried up brooks,” but my attitude toward them has been one of expectancy, for I know God is faithful to me just as He was to Elijah.
Allan Emery