There were several ways by which God punished Israel whenever they got into idolatry. They include pestilence, war, and captivity. Another of such tool for chastising the people was famine. One of such famines occurred during the ministry of Elijah in the reign of Ahab. Shortly after Elijah proclaimed that there would be no rain or dew, God asked him to go to Cherith. There the ravens brought him food twice daily while he helped himself with water from the brook. The water from the brook eventually dried up because of lack of rain. That was when a new line of instruction came to him as we have it stated in our text.

When we look unto God by faith, it is His prerogative to deploy any of His innumerable channels to meet our needs.

One principal lesson from this story is that brooks, by whatever definition or interpretation, do dry. Sometimes they dry of natural causes; at other times it is because of some lapses on the side of human beings. What is interesting is that even when these brooks dry, God remains faithful and we can take a new bearing from Him. It took just one directive from God for Elijah to find the next place of sustenance. Brooks may dry on earth; but heaven remains the source of all that is rich, full, and free; yet it is never exhausted. When we look unto God by faith, it is His prerogative to deploy any of His innumerable channels to meet our needs.