How to Thrive in Hard Times: Lessons from Elijah at the Brook Cherith
While famine gripped Israel, Elijah was fed by ravens at the brook Cherith. His story shows why knowing God, and obeying His specific instructions, makes the difference in hard times.
Elijah thrived in a national famine because he knew God and obeyed His specific instructions. When everyone else was suffering, God told him exactly where to go, and provision was waiting for him there. That is the heart of thriving in hard times: not human cleverness, but knowing God well enough to hear and follow His direction.
The famine Elijah announced
“As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”
1 Kings 17:1 (NKJV)
Under King Ahab, Israel had given itself to idol worship. Ahab married Jezebel, a worshipper of Baal, and together they led the nation away from the command, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” God’s altars were torn down and His prophets persecuted. Into that situation God sent Elijah with a word: there would be no rain.
It is important to notice that Elijah had no control over the famine itself. He was only God’s messenger. If God had not intervened for him, he would have suffered along with everyone else.
God’s unusual provision
“Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
1 Kings 17:3–4 (NKJV)
What God told Elijah to do was unusual. Ravens bringing bread and meat to a man every morning and evening had never happened before. Later, when the brook dried up, God sent him to a widow in Zarephath who was preparing what she thought would be her last meal, and her flour and oil did not run out. None of this could be worked out by human reasoning. Elijah needed to know the voice of God.
In these last days it is vital to discern whom and what God has appointed to bring your supply, in every area of life. That requires knowing God intimately.
Having God versus knowing God
“…but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”
Daniel 11:32 (NKJV)
During Elijah’s time, many others suffered, including prophets of God. A hundred of them were hidden in two caves by Obadiah, the steward of Ahab’s house, and kept alive on bread and water (1 Kings 18:4). They were servants of God. They had God, but they did not walk in the same knowledge of Him that Elijah did. Meanwhile the man who truly knew God delivered the message and was sustained.
Being born again is the beginning, but it is not enough to carry you through perilous times on its own. You must decide to know God. You find yourself in a figurative “cave” whenever you are not living as the person God has called you to be. Many in the church are easily shaken by small disturbances because they do not yet know God deeply, and greater challenges are still to come upon the world.
In God’s kingdom, details matter
When judgement fell on Egypt before the Exodus, the Israelites living in Goshen were spared. God said, “I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell” (Exodus 8:22). Before the final plague, He gave them precise instructions for the Passover: which lamb to choose, when to kill it, how to cook and eat it, what to do with leftovers, and where to put the blood.
“Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”
Exodus 12:13 (NKJV)
Imagine someone in Goshen saying, “I’d rather sacrifice a rabbit,” or choosing a blemished lamb. They would have suffered the consequences, and it would not have been God’s fault. A kingdom is not a democracy; the King’s word is final. Jesus said, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:14). The Bible contains no mere suggestions. Even in difficult times, those who understand the ways of the kingdom continue to prosper, because they follow its principles.
Satisfied in the days of famine
“The Lord knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.”
Psalm 37:18–19 (NKJV)
When Jesus fed the multitude in Matthew 14, five loaves and two fish fed five thousand men besides women and children, and twelve baskets of leftovers were collected. God has not changed. He wants you to be able to care for yourself and your family, to have enough and more than enough, and to contribute to the work of His kingdom. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9).
Practical steps for hard times
- Make knowing God your first priority: daily time in His Word and in prayer, not only on Sundays.
- Ask God specifically: “Lord, where is my Cherith? What should I do?” Expect Him to answer.
- Obey the details, even when the instruction seems unusual or inconvenient.
- Refuse to follow popular opinion when it contradicts God’s Word.
- Stay in a church where the Word is taught, because “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).
- Trust God’s promise of supply: “My God shall supply all your need” (Philippians 4:19).
Key takeaways
- Elijah did not escape the famine through cleverness or hard work; he followed God’s specific instruction.
- It is possible to have God (to be saved) without truly knowing Him. Knowing God is what makes believers strong in hard times (Daniel 11:32).
- In God’s kingdom His word is a command, not a suggestion. Details matter, as the Passover in Goshen shows.
- God’s will is for His people to be satisfied even in famine (Psalm 37:19), with enough to bless others.
Join us this Sunday
Worship with us in person in Ipaja, Lagos at 8:30 AM, or online. You will be welcome.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main lesson of Elijah at the brook Cherith?
God has specific provision for His people in every season, but it is found by hearing and obeying His instructions. Elijah went where God sent him, and there God had already commanded the ravens to feed him (1 Kings 17:3–4).
What does “the people who know their God shall be strong” mean?
Daniel 11:32 contrasts people who merely belong to God with people who know Him intimately. Knowledge of God, His ways, His voice and His Word, produces strength and exploits, especially in difficult times.
Does God still provide for His people in hard economic times?
Yes. God does not change (Malachi 3:6), and His promise remains: “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). The means may be unusual, as with Elijah, which is why knowing His voice matters.
Rev. Dr. Adewumi Adewuyi
A medical practitioner called by God to the prophetic office, Rev. Dr. Adewuyi is the founder and General Overseer of Christ the Cornerstone Bible Church, headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. His mandate is to raise a multitude of people who walk in the fullness of their redemption.
Adapted from Making It in Perilous Times by Rev. Dr. Adewumi Adewuyi (Life Abundant Publishing House). Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.