When the Brook Dries Up: Trusting God in Times of Transition

When the Brook Dries Up: Trusting God in Times of Transition
There is a moment most of us will face at some point in life—the moment when the very thing that sustained us yesterday is suddenly gone.
The job disappears. A relationship changes. The plan becomes uncertain. The ministry enters a new season. The resources that seemed sufficient yesterday don't seem sufficient today.
The brook dries up.
In 1 Kings 17, Elijah experienced exactly that. God had provided for him beside a brook during a severe famine. But eventually, the brook dried up. Then God told Elijah to get up and go to Zarephath.
God didn't give Elijah the entire plan. He simply gave him the next step.
That's often how God works.
He doesn't always lead us toward what is comfortable. He leads us toward obedience. And obedience often comes before we understand the whole picture.
Then Elijah encountered a widow who was gathering sticks to prepare one final meal for herself and her son. She had almost nothing left—just a little flour and oil. Yet God asked her to trust Him with what she had.
She did.
And the flour didn't run out. The oil didn't run dry.
Notice what God did: He didn't give her a warehouse full of flour. He gave her enough for the next day. And then enough for the day after that.
That's often the way God's provision works.
We want certainty before obedience. We want to see the provision before we take the step. We want the full plan before we say yes.
But faith says, “God, I may not see everything You are doing, but I trust You with what You have placed in my hands.”
That's a word I believe we need at Frontier Church.
As we continue advancing the gospel into new frontiers, there will be moments when the brook dries up. Plans will change. Resources may feel limited. The next step may not always be obvious.
But the God who provided yesterday is still God today.
The brook may dry up, but God doesn't.
The widow's story ultimately points us to an even greater provision. God didn't just provide flour and oil. He provided His Son. At the cross, Jesus gave everything so that broken, fearful, uncertain people like us could be reconciled to God.
So whatever you're facing today, don't wait until you have everything figured out.
Trust God with what is already in your hands.
Take the next step.
And believe that the God who calls you forward will provide what you need along the way.
Questions to Consider

• What has God already told me to do that I haven't done?
• What am I afraid to place fully in God's hands?
• What is my next step of obedience?

The brook may have dried up.
But God is already at the next place.
This could also work especially well as a Frontier Church blog/devotional series, with the closing line becoming a recurring theme: “The brook may dry up, but God doesn't.”



— Pastor Travis Young Lead Pastor, Frontier Church Advancing the Gospel into New Frontiers