Introduction: Have you ever wondered when you had problems if you were out of God’s will? Just because we follow Jesus Christ does not mean there will be smooth sailing the whole way. Here is an example of an Old Testament prophet who obeyed the Lord and yet ran into hardships. Even though the Lord PROVIDED, his faith was tested.

We can expect our faith to be tested as well.

1. God Guides. 

“2And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 3Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.” (1Kings 17:2,3)

Elijah was a special servant with a special calling and anointing.

“1And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” (1Kings 17:1)

A true prophet will be 100% correct, according to Deuteronomy 18:21,22.

“21And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? 22When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”

That means there are a lot of false prophets today. In fact, while studying this subject not long ago, this Pastor read where some preachers and charismatic movements claim that if 75% of predictions come to pass then whoever prophesied them, even though they were wrong 25% of time, they are still prophets.

But both Moses and Jesus spoke otherwise. In the Olivet discourse, Jesus was describing His second coming (not the rapture), warning us of false teachers.

“11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” (Matt 24:11)

2. God PROVIDES!

“And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 5So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 6And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.” (1 Kings 17:4-6)

Imagine birds (Ravens) being instructed by the Lord to stop by the butcher shop, grab some meat, and take it to Elijah!

3. God IMPROVISES!

“7And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.” (1Kings 17:7)

That is when the average CHRISTian begins to search to see if God’s promises are really true. Will the Lord PROVIDE where HE GUIDES?

“8And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 9Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.” (1 Kings 18:8-9)

Unexpected occurrences do not catch JESUS CHRIST by surprise. Why? Because He is a God of foreknowledge. He knows tomorrow! That is why He is trustworthy.

Conclusion: We can derive several conclusions from this study. While the Holy Spirit GUIDES (Rom 8:14), He also PROVIDES (Phil 4:19). But make no mistake about it, there will be SETBACKS, which become SETUPS for COMEBACKS along the way. 

Praise the Lord!