By Andrew Williams
Series: The Year of the Prophet- Month 3: The School of the Wilderness (Preparation)
Week 10: The Purpose of Hiddenness (The “Cherith” Phase)
Anchor Scripture: “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith… And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” — 1 Kings 17:2–4 (NKJV)
The Teaching
When God sends a prophet into the wilderness, He doesn’t just change their location; He changes their source. After Elijah stood before Ahab and declared a drought, he was immediately sent to the Brook Cherith. This was not a luxury retreat; it was a testing ground for his dependence.
Notice the word “there.” God told Elijah He had commanded the ravens to feed him there. In the wilderness, the prophet must learn the “Geography of Provision.” You cannot be provided for where you want to be; you can only be provided for where God has told you to be. If Elijah had stayed in the palace, he would have starved. If he had gone to a neighboring town, he would have been found. His survival depended on his obedience to a specific, solitary location.
Furthermore, God used ravens—birds that were considered “unclean” under the law—to bring the prophet meat and bread. This was a direct challenge to Elijah’s religious mind. In the School of the Wilderness, God will often use unconventional, unexpected, and even “offensive” means to provide for His messengers. He does this to strip the prophet of their reliance on “the way things are usually done.” You must learn to trust the Voice that commands the raven more than you trust the Nature of the raven itself.
Prophetic Insight
The “Cherith” season is designed to make you un-buyable and un-controllable by the systems of man. If the church provides for you, you might be tempted to please the church. If a wealthy donor provides for you, you might be tempted to please the donor. But if a raven provides for you, you know only God could have done it. God is training you to look past the “resource” to the “Source.” If your current season involves unconventional provision—perhaps you are relying on miracles, unexpected checks, or the kindness of strangers—do not be ashamed. God is teaching you that your survival is tied to His word, not your salary.
The Activation
Look at your current needs (financial, emotional, or spiritual). Today, stop looking at your “usual” sources for the answer. Ask the Holy Spirit: “Lord, where is my ‘there’ in this season? Am I in the place of Your command?” Once you are sure of your location, release your “how.” Say, “Lord, I don’t care how the bread arrives; I only care that it comes from You.” Be on the lookout for a “raven”—an unconventional blessing—today.
Daily Prayer: Lord God, I thank You that You are my Jehovah-Jireh. I thank You for the Brook Cherith and the training of the ravens. Forgive me for trying to control the ‘how’ of my provision. I choose to go ‘there’—to the place of Your command—and stay until You move me. I open my heart to Your unconventional ways. Teach me to trust Your word more than my own logic. Amen.
