Famine was one of the means by which God punished Israel when they veered from true worship to idolatry. 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 would bring 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.

Brooks may dry on earth; but heaven remains the source of all that is rich, full, and free and is never exhausted. That is the direction to fix our gaze by faith.

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 and is never exhausted. That is the direction to fix our gaze by faith.