Empty
Vessels From Cherith’s Brook
By Daniel Valles,
06/08/2013
Perhaps
one of the shortest and most mesmerizing portions of
Scripture that we learn about growing up is when God
used the ravens to feed His prophet Elijah. In I
Kings 17, we are given in just five verses the whole
account: God told Elijah to go to this secluded
brook, called Cherith, and hide there while God
provides for him. Elijah is daily fed bread and
flesh (meat) by the ravens. His water supply during
the nationwide drought is this little brook. It was
during this time that God wrought a special working
in Elijah's life. Many times God also brings us to
periods and places in our life where we are all
alone. We feel we have no friends or confidants,
life seems the same drudge day by day; yet we still
have God's promises. As we look into Scripture, let
us also get a glimpse of what God may be working in
us as well.
Based
on the length of the drought, and other notes, it
appears that Elijah was here at this brook for about
a year. Too often we forget that these prophets and
names in the Bible were real people with real people
problems. When we put ourselves in his shoes, we can
start to see the magnitude that this was no picnic.
Here is a man, with no companionship, friends,
counselors, neighbors, mailman, or anybody. God has
called him to be absolutely alone. Sometimes God
brings us to places where we may be physically away
from people, or lonely in the midst of people.
Elijah had no one to ask how he was doing, what he
was up to, what he was thinking, what he laughed at,
what he did all day... He had no one to laugh with,
say "Good morning" to, help him with the chores, sit
with him at sunset, share a meager meal with, or
simply sit back and pass the time with. When Elijah
saw the deer and animals come to the brook at dusk
for a drink, Elijah had no one to share the moment
with. No doubt Elijah talked to the ravens just to
have a chance to voice something, wishing in some
small way that they could talk back. He wondered
where they had been, what they had seen, what their
view on life was... These birds were apparently the
only life form that he interacted with on a daily
basis. I'm sure many times Elijah was in the middle
of something, say gathering sticks for the fire, and
just happened to start talking to himself when he
suddenly catches himself mid-sentence and throws the
sticks down on the ground in frustration as he
shakes his head. Many evenings probably found him
staring into the fire, but not really looking at it
- just staring off into space. Some days he might
have tried to busy himself with something just to
pass the time, such as weaving a basket of reeds
only to quit again in frustration as it all seemed
so pointless and empty. He was empty; the hollowness
and quiet were loud in his ears every day. Perhaps
in the morning the soft gurgles of the brook would
wake him; but, reminded of where he was, he would
lay in bed trying to think of what the point of
getting up really was. There were chores to be done,
yes; but they seemed so mundane, pointless, and
mechanical. Eating was a chore. The same old diet of
food wasn't the problem, per se, it was the
methodical, pointless, repetitive task. Without
human companionship and interaction, life seemed
nothing more than eat, work, sleep; yet, God was
working something special in Elijah's life.
Oftentimes we
forget that the ravens that God chose to feed Elijah
with were considered unclean animals; they typically
eat dead things. They are not especially beautiful
to look at or to listen to; yet God specifically
chose to use them, and to make a note of His
decision. I wonder if the first time the ravens
brought him bread and meat, Elijah shrunk back in
revulsion from having to eat food that was in an
unclean bird's beak. Also note that ravens would
only be able to carry small morsels; Elijah was
provided for in sufficiency. I do not think it took
long for Elijah to consider why God used ravens.
Twice a day Elijah was reminded that God can use
ravens to accomplish His working. Perhaps in
reflection, Elijah contemplated that if God can use
ravens, then I must be humble to think that God
would use me for anything. Even though Elijah had no
one to speak with, he could see God working in small
ways every day, and he knew he could trust God for
the much larger picture. Even though Elijah had
questions and wondered about his situation like the
rest of us, he knew he could rely on God's
Providence and direction.
Sometimes
we are brought to situations where it feels we are
in an emotional desert or hard place. Maybe, like
Elijah, we are disgusted internally at the events
and circumstances that God is using in our life. We
may not hear or see God work in mighty ways for
quite some time. Perhaps we had been involved in a
great visible work of God in months or years past;
but for some reason, He now has us by a brook called
Cherith where seemingly not much, if anything,
happens. Yet, if we lift up our eyes, we can see God
working in little things every day to remind us that
He is still there, and that He is working in ways we
cannot see. There is a saying that a teacher is
always quiet during a test; the same can be true
with God. A teacher is still there during the test,
and may give very minor direction during it, but
they will largely be quiet and observant. The test
is not for the teacher, it is for the pupil.
After a while,
another thing that Elijah noticed was that the water
level in the brook was going down. Maybe one day he
noticed that the waterline where he used to get a
drink at was just a little further down on the
rocks. It wouldn't take long for him to mentally
calculate the rate of decrease and figure out when
the water would run out. It is in the hard
situations where we are often confronted with
additional measures and tests of our faith. Job was
confronted not only with deprivation of family and
wealth, but also had sickness of health on top of
his calamities. If we are not careful, it is easy to
fret and worry, as though this new alarm is going to
catch God off-guard. God knew the water was going to
run out, but He already had food and water plans for
Elijah in the works. God did not tell Elijah about
the widow and her son until after the brook had
dried up. The very first thing that God provided to
Elijah by her hand was a drink of water (v.11).
Elijah
had seen God provide bread and meat supernaturally,
so his faith was now strong that the barrel of meal
would sustain them in like manner. When we reflect
on this, we have to ask ourselves if Elijah's faith
would have been so strong if he had not been by the
brook Cherith. Would it have been so strong as to be
able to ask the Lord to restore the life of the
widow's son? Elijah's faith had grown so strong that
he was able to say, almost matter-of-factly, to the
widow woman, "See, thy son liveth." (v. 23).
How strong would our faith be if we had not been
brought to the brook Cherith? Would our faith expect
great things of God? Would our requests reflect a
strong faith or a weak faith?
Another
thought that Elijah perhaps noticed is that the
brook was merely a tool and conduit for the water.
God brought him not to a large place of standing
water like a lake, but to a means of providing
water. Just like the ravens were a tool and conduit
for providing food, the brook was an inanimate
object that God was using. Elijah could see that God
can use animals, objects, and even himself. It is
when we see ourselves not as the water, but as a
fountain or vessel for the Water of Life that God
can more fully use us. We are not the ones providing
life or power in this world, we are merely the
conduits that God has chosen to work and flow
through. Too often we try to effect change, even in
ministry, by our own strengths instead of emptying
ourselves and allowing God to use us as empty
vessels.
As
Matthew Henry points out, the important note about
Christ's first miracle wasn't necessarily turning
water into wine - it was that He chose empty vessels
for them to fill with water, which He then used
miraculously. At the brook Cherith, Elijah learned
that God can use and fill any vessel - whether it is
a brook, meal barrel, prophet - or even a vessel
that God has chosen for you to mentor, such as
Elijah and Elisha. Elijah was able to see the
potential in Elisha, and take him under wing as an
apprentice. Sometimes God brings vessels to us that
need some patching up and some tender loving care.
The world and sin has been rough on them, but they
have great potential to be used by God. Some of the
best vessels that God has used have been humble,
broken, and empty vessels. Just because a vessel is
marred or chipped does not mean it is not useful;
oftentimes it means that it will be used in unique
ways that others are not.
Oftentimes,
though, God is bringing us through a stay at the
brook Cherith because we, like Elijah, need to learn
some lessons first and see things through His eyes.
Just because we find ourselves by the brook of
loneliness does not mean that God is looking down on
us. Sometimes He just wants us to be able to see the
world through new perspectives. Even Elijah had to
be reminded that God is just at work in the still,
small voice as He is in the large displays of His
work and glory. When we don't quite see it, or don't
get it, or even have other things blocking our view,
then sometimes He has to pull us aside to a quiet
place in the wilderness where our hearts and minds
can be still.
Other
times, though, we deliberately retreat to the brook
Cherith of our own accord. In Genesis
24:63 we find, "And Isaac went
out to meditate in the field at the eventide..."
Even the patriarchs knew of the refreshment that can
be found by getting alone with God. When we make
efforts to put aside the noise and care of everyday
life, and make a time and place where we can meet
with God, we should not be surprised if we find Him
there. Even Jesus took much time apart in the
wilderness to spend with God in prayer. More than
once He spent forty days in the wilderness. He knew
the value and place of the brook Cherith. It is
interesting that we should be known for our value
and placing of God in our life. The enemies of
Daniel knew that he took time aside three times each
day to pray and seek God. Judas knew where to find
Jesus because it was a quiet place away from the
city noise and crowds where Jesus regularly took His
disciples. Oh, that Christ would take us to the
Gardens and Brooks where we could sit at His feet!
Sometimes,
we find that we end up in the Gardens and Brooks
because we have nowhere else to turn. A.W. Tozer
summed it up well in his short writing, The
Loneliness of a Christian:
The
loneliness of the Christian results from his walk
with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often
take him away from the fellowship of good Christians
as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His
God-given instincts cry out for companionship with
others of his kind, others who can understand his
longings, his aspirations, his absorption in the
love of Christ; and because within his circle of
friends there are so few who share his inner
experiences he is forced to walk alone.
The
unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human
understanding caused them to cry out in their
complaint, and even our Lord Himself suffered in the
same way. The man who has passed on into Divine
Presence in actual inner experience will not find
many who understand him. He finds few who care to
talk about that which is the supreme object of his
interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in
the midst of noisy religious shoptalk. For this he
earns the reputation of being dull and over-serious,
so he is avoided and the gulf between him and
society widens. He searches for friends upon whose
garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes
and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few
or none he, like Mary of old, keeps these things in
his heart.
It
is this very loneliness that throws him back upon
God. His inability to find human companionship
drives him to seek in God what he can find nowhere
else.
The
long days and endless months that Elijah spent
pacing back and forth by the brook Cherith worked
him in a unique and special way that the regular
life often fails to cultivate. It is when we are
freed from the clutter, conversation, and noise of
this world that our heavenly conversation becomes
more natural. Our prayers are not just some rote
saying while our heads our bowed piously; they
become a natural expression - as natural as talking
to a neighbor or friend. He becomes our Friend on a
closer manner than most Christians are comfortable
having Him. Most Christians are comfortable to leave
Him at church on Sunday, while they have the rest of
the week to themselves. Yet, when we are stripped of
those whom we normally discourse with, we find that
Christ has been patiently waiting for us to
discourse with Him. We speak our mind and heart with
clarity and transparency, not waiting for the
designated prayer time or service time; no, our
cares and thoughts are worn on our sleeve. When we
feel pain, we quickly call on Him; when we need
strength, we are quick to call, "Lord, help me." Our
prayer is taken from the realm of ceremony to the
sweet discourse of close friends. We laugh with Him
throughout the day, smile at His creation as He
shows us wonders, wipe a tear as He shows us His
Loving tenderness in His Word, run to Him when we
have no one else to run to, and we can hear His
still, small voice reassuring us that He is always
there.
Psalm 94:17 - "Unless
the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost
dwelt in silence."
It
is when we resist the times in the wilderness, or
try to run from the brooks, that we find we are dry
and thirsty inside, and faint from lack of
sustenance. When we try to do it our way, we find
that the fountains are not flowing as they should,
and that we cannot share the Bread of Life as we
should. It is then that we must humble ourselves, as
the prophet Elijah, and earnestly humble ourselves
before Him and plead that He will work through our
empty and imperfect vessel.
Sometimes
God has to break our vessel to empty out what should
not be there, or to remind us where the filling
comes from. Each vessel that was used at the brook
Cherith was always only a vessel; it did not
eventually become capable of filling itself or
providing by itself. As Christians, we will always
only be vessels. We are meant to carry the Living
Water, not be the Living Water. We are likened to a
candle, but we are not the Light. We can carry the
Bread of Life, but we are not the Bread of Life.
II
Timothy 2:20-21 reminds us, "But
in a great house there are not only vessels of
gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth;
and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a
man therefore purge himself from these, he shall
be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for
the master's use, and prepared unto every good
work."
We
often run into trouble or confusion when we get an
idea stuck in our head of what we ought to be used
for. It doesn't matter what we are used for; what
matters is that we are used. Too often Christians
equate their natural talents and skills as what God
wants them to do. There is nothing necessarily wrong
with that, but Scripture reminds us that as vessels,
our primary consideration should be that we are
constantly purged from the world, and ready for the
master's use - regardless of what that is.
Desires,
though, even though they may be of service for God,
are rarely the same thing as the task that God has
for us.
The
Apostle Paul many times mentions that he desired to
go certain places and preach and do other great
things for God, but that God was the one who told
him no, or not at this time. There are many things
that I have wanted to do for God and ministry, but
had to accept that God’s timing was not in it, and
that, many times, He had another primary task that
He wanted me to fulfill in the present.
Sometimes
secondary and circumstantial events seemed favorable
toward pursuing a desired task, but when considered
against the main mission and task, it was realized
that that particular desire, although good, was a
potential distraction from the task God had given me
to do now.
The
question when moving forward for God is not what do
I want to do for God, but what does God want me to
do for Him? Another question that I find myself
asking many times is what is the need and what is
the want? Has God clearly opened a door?
If
there is confusion or competing tasks, then ask the
Lord to clearly close the opportunity and task that
He wants you to avoid.
“...let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let
us run with patience the race that is set before
us.” - Hebrews
12:1
“...Take heed to the ministry which
thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil
it.” - Colossians
4:17
Both
of these verses underscore the fact that ministry is
the job and task that God lays in front of us, and
gives to us. The exhortation in both of them is to
not just take such a task lightly because it was not
necessarily our choosing.
“Know ye not that they which run in a
race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run,
that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth
for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now
they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we
an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as
uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth
the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it
into subjection: lest that by any means, when I
have preached to others, I myself should be a
castaway.” - I
Corinthians 9:24-27
It
is possible to be busy doing a good thing, yet
distracted by so many stumblingblocks, so that you
end up being cast aside by God for tasks that He
would have given you. God will either work through
you - or around you - but the latter will cost you
more.
In
Luke
19:20-24, we find the familiar story
of the talents... In vs. 13, it starts by "...he
called his ten servants, and delivered them ten
pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come."
“And another came, saying, Lord,
behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid
up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou
art an austere man: thou takest up that thou
layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not
sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth
will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou
knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that
I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the
bank, that at my coming I might have required mine
own with usury? And he said unto them that stood
by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him
that hath ten pounds.”
The
first two servants received the “Well done...”
The
last servant, who decided to wrap up the task that
was delivered to him and bury it, lost his talents
that he was given.
“The world passeth away, and the
lusts thereof: but he that doeth the will of God
abideth forever.” - I John
2:17
When
God calls us to the brook Cherith, it is because, in
His time and way, He has a much bigger plan for our
life, and He wants a closer relationship with us. It
will involve a process of emptying us out - but let
us always stay close by His side so that we will be
ready, willing, humble - and fit for the Master's
use.
Psalm 68:28 - "Thy
God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O
God, that which thou hast wrought for us."
Maranatha!
Perhaps
one of the shortest and most mesmerizing portions of Scripture that we
learn about growing up is when God used the ravens to feed His prophet
Elijah. In I Kings 17, we are given in just five verses the whole
account: God told Elijah to go to this secluded brook, called Cherith,
and hide there while God provides for him. Elijah is daily fed bread
and flesh (meat) by the ravens. His water supply during the nationwide
drought is this little brook. It was during this time that God wrought a
special working in Elijah's life. Many times God also brings us to
periods and places in our life where we are all alone. We feel we have
no friends or confidants, life seems the same drudge day by day; yet we
still have God's promises. As we look into Scripture, let us also get a
glimpse of what God may be working in us as well. - See more at:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160404021631/http://informedchristians.com/index.php/Articles/empty-vessels-from-cheriths-brook#sthash.aA4O3t0b.dpuf
Perhaps
one of the shortest and most mesmerizing portions of Scripture that we
learn about growing up is when God used the ravens to feed His prophet
Elijah. In I Kings 17, we are given in just five verses the whole
account: God told Elijah to go to this secluded brook, called Cherith,
and hide there while God provides for him. Elijah is daily fed bread
and flesh (meat) by the ravens. His water supply during the nationwide
drought is this little brook. It was during this time that God wrought a
special working in Elijah's life. Many times God also brings us to
periods and places in our life where we are all alone. We feel we have
no friends or confidants, life seems the same drudge day by day; yet we
still have God's promises. As we look into Scripture, let us also get a
glimpse of what God may be working in us as well. - See more at:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160404021631/http://informedchristians.com/index.php/Articles/empty-vessels-from-cheriths-brook#sthash.aA4O3t0b.dpuf
Perhaps
one of the shortest and most mesmerizing portions of Scripture that we
learn about growing up is when God used the ravens to feed His prophet
Elijah. In I Kings 17, we are given in just five verses the whole
account: God told Elijah to go to this secluded brook, called Cherith,
and hide there while God provides for him. Elijah is daily fed bread
and flesh (meat) by the ravens. His water supply during the nationwide
drought is this little brook. It was during this time that God wrought a
special working in Elijah's life. Many times God also brings us to
periods and places in our life where we are all alone. We feel we have
no friends or confidants, life seems the same drudge day by day; yet we
still have God's promises. As we look into Scripture, let us also get a
glimpse of what God may be working in us as well. - See more at:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160404021631/http://informedchristians.com/index.php/Articles/empty-vessels-from-cheriths-brook#sthash.aA4O3t0b.dpuf
Empty Vessels From Cherith’s Brook
Empty Vessels From Cherith’s Brook
Empty Vessels From Cherith’s Brook
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