Life Lessons from Elijah: When Your Brook Runs Dry

When Your Brook Runs Dry: Finding Faith in the Desert Seasons
Life has a peculiar way of testing our faith when we least expect it. One moment, everything flows smoothly—our relationships are stable, our finances manageable, our spiritual life vibrant. Then suddenly, without warning, the brook runs dry.
This isn't just poetic language. It's the reality that confronted Elijah, one of the Old Testament's most powerful prophets, and it's a reality that confronts each of us at different seasons of our lives.
The Prophet Who Appeared from Nowhere
Elijah burst onto the biblical scene like a thunderclap in 1 Kings 17. We know almost nothing about his background—only that he was from Tishbe, a region east of the Jordan River. Yet this mysterious figure marched straight to King Ahab with a message that would shake the nation: there would be no rain or even morning dew until God said otherwise.
This wasn't just a weather forecast. It was a direct challenge to the false god Baal, whom the people of Israel had been worshiping alongside the one true God. Baal was supposedly the god of weather, agriculture, and fertility. By cutting off all moisture from the land, God was proving who truly controlled the elements.
King Ahab represented the culmination of increasingly wicked leadership in Israel. The Bible tells us he "did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him." His marriage to Jezebel—a woman so ruthless that her name became synonymous with evil—only intensified his wickedness. Together, they led the nation into idolatry, trying to worship both God and false gods simultaneously.
God's message was clear: you're either all in with me, or you're against me. There's no middle ground.
Provision in the Wilderness
After delivering God's message to Ahab, Elijah received personal instructions: "Get away from here and turn eastward and hide by the brook Cherith." This wasn't about hiding from people—it was about getting alone with God. In our noisy, chaotic world filled with constant distractions, we often struggle to hear God's voice. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is simply get away and spend one-on-one time with our Creator.
God promised Elijah two things at the brook: he would drink from the flowing water, and ravens would bring him food twice daily. It was the original meal delivery service. Morning and evening, bread and meat arrived like clockwork. The brook flowed freely. Life was good.
And Elijah's response to God's unusual plan? Simple obedience. "So he went and did according to the word of the Lord." No arguments, no questions, no trying to figure out a better plan. Just yes.
This is what God looks for—not the most educated, not the most eloquent, but those who will simply say, "God, whatever you call me to do, count me in."
When the Water Stops Flowing
But then came verse 7: "And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land."
The drought that was meant to judge the wicked also affected the righteous. Elijah, who had been faithfully serving God, suddenly found himself without water. His reliable provision vanished.
This is where theology meets reality. We can faithfully serve God, pray consistently, study Scripture diligently, and still face seasons when our brook dries up. Maybe it's a marriage that ends despite our best efforts. Maybe it's a financial crisis that hits without warning. Maybe it's a physical diagnosis that changes everything. Maybe it's simply a spiritual dryness where God feels a million miles away despite our attempts to connect with Him.
In these moments, we question. We doubt. We ask, "God, why am I going through this? Where are you?"
The Psalmist's Honest Struggle
Psalm 42 gives us permission to be honest about these struggles. The psalmist writes with raw vulnerability: "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God." He's spiritually thirsty, desperately needing God's presence.
He admits his tears have become his food. He acknowledges the taunts: "Where is your God?" These are the lies Satan whispers when we're in the valley—that God has abandoned us, that our faith was misplaced, that we're alone.
But then something shifts. The psalmist begins preaching to himself: "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me?" He reminds himself of better times, of worshiping with others, of God's faithfulness. He makes a choice to hope in God and praise Him regardless of circumstances.
Sometimes we need to have a serious conversation with ourselves, reminding our hearts of what our heads know to be true.
Who You Really Are
When the brook dries up, we need to remember who God says we are:
You are chosen. Jesus said, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you" (John 15:16). This wasn't random. You were specifically selected.
You are forgiven. First John 1:9 promises that when we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Not some unrighteousness—all of it.
You are a child of God. To all who received Him and believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).
Nothing can separate you from God's love. Romans 8:38-39 lists everything that cannot separate us—death, life, angels, demons, present troubles, future worries, height, depth, or any other created thing. The definition of nothing is, well, nothing.
You are a citizen of heaven. Your true home isn't here. Philippians 3:20 reminds us our citizenship is in heaven, and we're waiting for our Savior to return.
The Promise Beyond the Drought
Here's the beautiful truth: if God can raise Jesus from the dead, there is nothing—absolutely nothing—He cannot do in your life. No situation is too difficult, no relationship too broken, no spiritual drought too severe.
The Bible promises a day when God will wipe away every tear, when there will be no more death, pain, sorrow, or suffering. And on that day, there will be no more dried-up brooks in our lives.
But here's the spoiler for those who know the rest of Elijah's story: if the brook hadn't dried up, he would never have moved on to experience God in even greater ways. The drought wasn't the end of his story—it was preparation for the next chapter where God would use him in incredible ways.
The same is true for us. Sometimes God allows a brook to dry up in our lives not to punish us, but to position us for something greater. He's moving us from where we are to where we can experience Him more fully than we ever have before.
Drawing Near
James 4:8 offers this invitation: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." But it comes with a condition—we need to come with clean hands and pure hearts. We can't approach God while clutching our sins and expecting intimacy.
When we come honestly, humbly, and openly, God forgives, restores, blesses, and uses us in ways we never imagined possible.
So if your brook is dry today, don't lose faith. Keep praying. Keep worshiping. Keep showing up. Keep believing that the God who provided for Elijah by a brook, and then provided for him when that brook dried up, is the same God who will provide for you.
The water may have stopped flowing for now, but the story isn't over. In fact, it may just be beginning.