1 Kings 17:2–4 “And the word of the Lord came unto him (Elijah), saying, Get the hence, and turn eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed you” THERE”.” ( 1 Kings 17:2–4, Brackets and emphasis mine).
Where is “there”?
First, “There” is a place. Second, “There” is an assignment. Third, “There” is an attitude of obedience. “There” is a place where God wants you to be or go. It’s not the place where you are now but where God wants you to be. For example, you are now in India, but God wants you to be in the Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast is your “there”.
“There” is also an assignment. You may be now pastoring, but God wants you to be a travelling evangelist. Or you are pastoring, but God wants you to set up a children’s home. In this case, a travelling evangelist or a children’s home is your “there.” Your “there” is the assignment, burden, or word God has placed in your heart or spoken to you to accomplish.
Your place, called “there,” is not necessarily a specific geographic location. It is often more of an attitude of wholeheartedly moving towards doing what God has said for you to do.
“There” is also where God sends your provision.
There is a place called “there” for you. You cannot see it from where you are. You just have to step out in faith on what God is telling you to do. The provision is not where you are. It is “there” — it is found while you are out doing what God has told you to do. Do not wait to see the provision before you step out, but God said, “I have commanded the ravens to feed you there!”
God usually makes supernatural provision. When you are in trouble, in need, or lacking, God makes a way of escape for you.
In the incident above, Elijah spoke God’s word to the king at the time, King Ahab, declaring that there would be a drought lasting three and a half years. When the prophecy Elijah delivered began to come true, King Ahab started searching for Elijah in order to kill him. 1 Kings 17:2–4 shows how God directed Elijah to a place where he would be protected, preserved, and provided for. There is an important lesson here: all protection, preservation, and provision would be given “there” — the very place God had instructed Elijah to go. “I (God) have commanded the ravens to feed thee there” (1 Kings 17:4, brackets and emphasis mine). God had already arranged Elijah’s supply, but it was not sent directly to him; it was sent “there” — to the place God told him to go. When God gives you a command, remember that He makes full provision for you. There will always be ample supply for everything the Lord directs you to do. God sends supply to the location where He tells you to go — not to where you are. In Elijah’s case, God sent the supply to the place He directed, not to Elijah himself. The provision was sent “there” — to the brook Cherith. The supply of God for any assignment is sent to where the task is to be carried out — “there.” It will never be sent to where you are. For Elijah, the supply was sent to the location God instructed him to go. “So he (Elijah) went and did according unto the word of the Lord; for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning and flesh and bread in the evening; and he drank of the brook” (1 Kings 17:5–6 brackets mine).
If Elijah had simply stayed where he was, the Lord would have supplied the food because verse four says, “I have commanded the ravens…” Before God spoke to Elijah to go to the brook Cherith, He had already spoken to the birds, instructing them to bring food for Elijah at the brook Cherith. Before God speaks to you about any assignment, He first makes preparation for the provision. He commands those who are meant to stand with you, provide for you, and support the assignment. Even if Elijah had not gone to the place God sent him — that is, the brook Cherith — the supply would have been there, even if Elijah suffered hunger and thirst due to his disobedience. God’s provision for Elijah was not dependent on Elijah’s obedience but on God’s command to the birds. However, Elijah’s ability to receive God’s provision depended on his obedience to God’s word. The same applies to us today.
The birds or ravens, because they had already received a command to bring provision for Elijah at the brook Cherith, would bring bread and flesh every morning and evening, piling it high beside the water. But if Elijah had failed to go where God had instructed him, he might have starved while wondering, “God, where are you? I stepped out on your word, but where’s your supply?”
God is faithful to His Word: “But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19). God provides for you each time. He loves you and has made abundant provisions for everything you need. But that provision is not sent to where you are physically; it is sent to where you are supposed to be — your destination. Therefore, if you are disobedient and do not follow through on what God has instructed, you risk missing out on your supply.
Obedience is important. God gave Elijah a word — just like He does for you. How do you respond to the word of God you’ve received? God knew there would be a need for protection and supernatural provision in Elijah’s life, so He made a way and sent ravens. Can you imagine this? ‘What would have happened if Elijah had not obeyed?’ God’s provision would have simply been left to rot, and Elijah could have gone hungry. You might be going hungry because of disobedience. There is a place called ‘there’ — the place of obedience. When this place, called ‘there,’ is neglected, the result is suffering, hardship, and an open door for the devil to attack. Or, can I say that disobedience provides an inroad for the devil into your life? Remember, your obedience doesn’t change God’s love for you, but if you are disobedient, you make things harder on yourself.
God has a purpose for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” God also has a call on your life, as shown in Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee……” Because of God’s purpose for you, He has already supernaturally provided for you. The supernatural provision has already been sent to accomplish whatever God has told you to do, but it’s “there.” The problem is that you don’t know your “there” or you are not there at all yet! You may be doing your own thing, in your own timing and in your own way. But there is an anointing on being obedient to God and doing what He says.
The Bible has much to say about obedience. Let’s look at two verses. In the book of Isaiah, the Bible shows us that obedience is the key that opens the door to the store of good in the land, so that you may enter and eat the good of the land. Isaiah 1:19 says, “If you are willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.” In other words, willingness and obedience culminate in all the provisions and blessings of the land.
When you look at 1 Samuel 15:22, it shows us that obedience is the highest form of sacrifice compared to any other known human sacrifice. The Bible says, “…… Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22). Therefore, obedience is the key that opens for you the door to the place where the good of the land is kept. Once the door is open, you enter and enjoy the good of the land. Obedience makes the land serve you and answer to you. It also opens the door to the land you dwell in, so you may enjoy its richness and the goodness of its produce. Additionally, obedience is the first and best sacrifice you can ever make before God, as His creature created in His image.
God has already sent your provision “there”. If you are missing out on His supply, it is because you are not “there”. You are not doing what you know in your heart that God has called you to do. Even when you step out, take a risk, throw caution to the wind, and do everything God tells you to do, it often still requires a great miracle to see results. It is still hard! But if you are not even doing what you know in your heart that God has called you to do, then you don’t stand a chance of experiencing success.
You are stuck in the same place you were five, ten, or even twenty years ago. You seek God when your back is against the wall, when you are in despair and nothing is going right. Then God opens a door and you start feeling some relief. You begin to see God’s power and experience some success, but then you let up and, over time, slide back to where you were before.
You must understand that the Christian life is a relationship. It is dynamic and progressive. Sometimes, God will change some things in your life. Will you continue following Him or not? Will you move on to the new “there” or get stuck?
You must understand that “there” changes. When you study the lives of servants of God who have gone before us, you will see that their lives were kept ablaze and progressing because God changed their “there” from time to time as they walked and maintained their relationship with Him. When God changes your “there,” it ignites a fresh fire within you. It keeps you moving forward without growing tired.
In the Elijah incident, God changed his “there.” If God changed His prophet Elijah’s “there,” be ready for your “there” to be changed by God at any time for His glory and your benefit. In 1 Kings 17:7–9, God changed Elijah’s “there.” The Bible says, “And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell THERE: behold, I have commanded a widow woman THERE to sustain thee.”
Just because God gave you a word, you obeyed it, and He supernaturally provided for you, does not mean the word won’t ever change! God’s changing of His word does not mean He is unfaithful. It means He is leading you a step further or giving you a new assignment. Everything He does is part of what you call “your destiny.”
“There” is not a static place. Sometimes, it will change. God changed Elijah’s “there.” He changed his place of provision. Keep this in mind: God leads you step by step. Like a seed, that is how He guides you — “For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; First the blade, the ear, after that the full corn in the ear,” (Mark 4:28). The “there” of the blade and its provision is different from the “there” of the ear and its provision, which is also different from the “there” and provision of the full-grown corn. Each step has its own direction and provisions.
Hearing from God and acting on His word is essential if you want to see His power manifest in your life. The Lord will never do anything to destroy you. He might test you at times, but He will never do anything to hurt you. There is tremendous blessing and anointing in being “there” and doing what God has called you to do. Are you “there”? If not, why not? Do what the Lord tells you.
I conclude by saying that “there” is first a geographic location — a place where God wants you to live, dwell, serve, operate, or work. It is a specific location God has prepared for you with all you need during your time there or throughout your life. This is your place on this earth.
Second, “there” is an assignment from God in your life. It is your position or role within the body of Christ. This distinguishes you from other believers and adds colour to your place on earth.
Third, “there” is an attitude of obedience. It reflects the place of God in your life. How do you value God? What position does He hold in your life? The place of God in your life determines how your role in the body of Christ will shine and influence your location on earth. Therefore, your “there” is the place of God in your heart and life, your position in the body of Christ, and your location on this earth. Let the Holy Spirit guide you (John 16:13).
Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Will you also go away?’ Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’ We believe and are sure that You are that Christ, the Son of the living God. (John 6:67–69)
Contributor: Gilbert Magomere Ayieko
