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With shocking suddenness, a roughly dressed prophet appeared before the singularly wicked king of Israel. The prophet was none other than Elijah the Tishbite. The king was none other than Ahab, who sank to lower depths of wickedness than any of the wicked kings before him. He had even imported a wicked wife from Sidon and with her had imported Baal worship.

Elijah issued this fearless declaration: “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word” (1 Kings 17:1). He had just announced the covenant curse of Deuteronomy 11:16–17. The anger of the Lord was kindled against Ahab and the idolatrous nation. Now what? It was probably not a good idea for Elijah to hang around. But he was not left wondering what to do next. The word of the Lord came to him, and his next location was clearly announced: an extended stay at the brook Cherith, complete with daily catering by ravens (1 Kings 17:2–4). Elijah didn’t miss a meal. As he drank daily from the brook, he noticed that its flow was slowing. The announced drought was taking its toll. After an unspecified number of days, the brook dried up altogether. Now what?

Immediately, we read once again that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, informing him of the place of his next sojourn. He was directed to Zarephath, to the neighborhood that Ahab’s wife was from. As if that weren’t daunting enough, he was directed to go to a widow gathering sticks to cook the final meal for herself and her son (vv. 8–12). Not to worry, Elijah. Where God guides, He provides. By means of a miraculous sustaining of a handful of flour in a jar and a meager amount of oil in a jug, the three of them were provided for by a final meal that lasted and lasted for many days (vv. 15–16).

You may not be having a “What’s next?” moment in your life right now. Things may be moving along rather smoothly and with clockwork consistency. But uncertainties are sure to come in this topsy-turvy world. The older one gets, the more likely they are to come with greater regularity. Will you be ready for them when they come? The best preparation is to be regularly in the Word of God. We need not wait for critical moments to come before we have the word of the Lord come to us.

Today we can be taking steps to face that “What’s next?” moment by having our minds and hearts molded by God’s truth. We, like the prophet, must wait on the word of the Lord. For Elijah, it was specific direction to the brook Cherith and to Zarephath. For us, it’s a matter of depending on God’s written, inspired Word. As we grow in our knowledge of God’s Word, we will be enabled to make wise, godly, and biblical decisions for those “What’s next?” moments.

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From the February 2025 Issue
Feb 2025 Issue