‘Gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel.’ 1 Kings 18:19 NKJV

The greatest chapter in the story of Elijah’s life took place on Mount Carmel. That’s when he called down fire from heaven, defeated the prophets of Baal, and turned the hearts of the Israelites back to God. The word ‘Carmel’ means fruitful ground. But before Elijah could get to Mount Carmel, he had to go through two places:

First: God led him to the brook called Cherith. The word ‘Cherith’ means cut as in make covenant with. Here Elijah discovered that God is a covenant-making, covenant-keeping God who can sustain you through the hardest of times. Here during a drought and famine ravens brought food to him each day while he drank from the refreshing waters of the brook. But the Bible says, ‘And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.’ (1 Kings 17:7 NKJV) Now, when God allows your brook to dry up, it’s in order to drive you back to your true source—Himself—so you can get further instructions.

Second: God led him to a widow in Zarephath. The word ‘Zarephath’ means to refine as in a melting pot. Gold is not pure in its original form. It must be refined, and this is accomplished by heating it to the boiling point. The heat separates the raw substance from its impurities, which rise to the surface to be skimmed off. And God will do the same for you by using the heat of trials to separate the gold from the dross in your life. He knows the experiences you need to reach Mount Carmel, the place of fruitfulness, so trust Him. He knows what He is doing.

SoulFood: Jonah 1–4, Luke 9:28–36, Ps 141, Pro 4:18–19

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©