Jehovah Jireh (6): From Kerith to Zarephath, God Provides

Sermon by Elder Junias Anane, October 19, 2025, Momentum Church. Series "On the Mountain of the LORD It Will Be Provided," part 6. Main texts: Psalm 32:8; 1 Kings 17.

Introduction

There are seasons in your life when the source you'd grown used to starts to run low. The stream that once flowed effortlessly ends up drying out. That isn't always a sign that God is abandoning you. Sometimes it's a sign that he's sending you elsewhere.

In this sixth part of the series "On the Mountain of the LORD It Will Be Provided," Elder Junias Anane returns to the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 17. The prophet was first fed by ravens at the Kerith brook. Then the brook dried up. God doesn't let him starve: he tells him, "Get up, go to Zarephath." Another season of provision opens up, right in the stronghold of his enemies.

This message speaks to anyone who has to make a decision, change seasons, or learn to receive God's provision in a place they weren't expecting it.

Article Outline

1. A prayer for divine direction (Psalm 32:8)
2. Kerith: the place of hiding and daily provision
3. "The brook dried up": when a door closes
4. Zarephath: provision in hostile territory
5. From receiver to source of blessing

1. A Prayer for Divine Direction

The preacher opens the message with an emphasis: "We are called to make choices. We are called to make decisions." He quotes the saying: "Success will follow your resolve." And he immediately adds: "The Lord did not say success will follow your compromises. The Lord is talking about your resolve, your decisions, and your choices."

He invites the congregation to pray for "divine direction," not for "random choices" or "decisions based on the flesh or human understanding." He shares his own prayer: "Lord, help me not to regret this choice. Help me not to regret this decision I made, because I realized I missed it."

The supporting text is Psalm 32:8: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." The preacher adds a promise from John 8:12: whoever follows Jesus "will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." He comments: "When I don't know where my path is, I walk as if in darkness. You don't know where the obstacles are. But when the light appears, things become visible. I know where my path is. I hear the instructions and I can obey."

2. Kerith: The Place of Hiding and Daily Provision

The preacher rereads 1 Kings 17:2-6. Elijah has just declared the drought ("there will be neither dew nor rain these years, except at my word"). Immediately, God sends him to hide at the Kerith brook, east of the Jordan. "You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."

Two points stand out. First, "there's a time to hide and a time to come out of hiding." The hiding place isn't a punishment, it's strategic protection while King Ahab and Jezebel send their men looking for him everywhere.

Next, God uses ravens (animals considered unclean under the Law) to feed his prophet. The preacher draws a lesson from this: "God can use any channel to do you good." The provision arrives morning and evening, "bread and meat," regular and sufficient. It's daily bread.

3. "The Brook Dried Up": When a Door Closes

"After a while the brook dried up" (v. 7). The preacher lingers on this verse: "If the brook is dry, it's because a spring is announcing itself in the name of Jesus."

He offers a principle: "God first opens a big door. Once he's finished opening the big door, God comes and closes the small door." In other words, when a door you counted as your resource closes, it isn't first a sign of abandonment. It's often a sign that a bigger door has already been opened elsewhere, and that God is moving you toward it.

The question then becomes: am I ready to obey when God says, "Get up, go"? The preacher quotes the command: "Get up, go to Zarephath, for there's another season of my provision for you."

4. Zarephath: Provision in Hostile Territory

The preacher stresses a geographical and political detail. Zarephath isn't a neutral place, it's a town "that belongs to Sidon." Now, according to 1 Kings 16:30-31, Jezebel is the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. So God sends his prophet, actively hunted by Ahab and Jezebel, to hide out at the home of Jezebel's own father.

The preacher comments: "Zarephath was a dangerous environment for Elijah," just as the ravens were unclean animals. But it's precisely there that God sends him. And he draws a promise from it for the congregation: "Elijah was invisible. Jezebel's father didn't see him. Jezebel didn't see him. Everyone they'd sent to hunt him down didn't see him. And God has charged me to tell you that they will not see you. Your enemies are blinded."

The spiritual lesson: God's protection isn't conditioned on a favorable environment. God can hide you right at the heart of the territory that means you harm, and make you prosper there.

5. From Receiver to Source of Blessing

At the Kerith brook, the preacher points out, Elijah ate "alone, by himself and himself only." At Zarephath, things change: the widow and her son share in the same provision. The fed prophet becomes a feeding prophet.

The preacher turns this into a call to move beyond purely self-centered prayers: "No more selfish prayers. Lord, bless me. Lord, wash me. Now God is sending you into another dimension. Not only has he commanded someone to feed you, but you yourself are going to feed people too."

God's provision isn't a closed vessel. It's meant to circulate. What you received at the brook, you're called to share at Zarephath.

Key Takeaways

• Decisions and resolutions matter: ask God for direction before you choose, so you won't have to regret it.
• God can use unexpected channels to feed you. Don't despise the resource just because it doesn't look like what you expected.
• A drying brook isn't first an abandonment: it's often a sign that a bigger door is already open elsewhere.
• The security God gives doesn't depend on the environment. He can hide you and make you prosper right where your enemies think they'll find you.
• Provision received is meant to be shared: from Kerith to Zarephath, you move from receiver to source of blessing.

Personal Application

1. What decision are you in the middle of making for which you haven't yet asked God for direction?
2. Is there a "dried up brook" in your life that you're experiencing as abandonment, when God is actually calling you to get up and go elsewhere?
3. To what "Zarephath" (a place you considered hostile or unlikely) is God asking you to go?
4. Do your prayers keep you in the position of receiver only, or also in the position of a source for others?
5. Where do you hear today the invitation "Get up, go"?

Verses Cited

• Psalm 32:8
• John 8:12
• 1 Kings 17:1-16
• 1 Kings 16:30-31
• Isaiah 53:5

FAQ

Why does God send Elijah specifically to Zarephath, into enemy territory?

Zarephath belongs to Sidon, whose king Ethbaal is Jezebel's father (1 Kings 16:31). It's the last place Ahab would think to look for Elijah. The preacher sees this as a way for God to make his prophet "invisible" to his persecutors, and to prove that his provision doesn't depend on a favorable environment.

Is a drying brook always a sign that God is opening another door?

In this message, yes. The preacher states this principle: God opens the big door first, then closes the small one. The end of a season isn't first a punishment, it's a move. You still have to get up and go where God is calling, though.

How can I practically pray to receive divine direction?

The preacher invites us to pray based on Psalm 32:8, to ask God to be led by his wisdom rather than by the flesh or human understanding, and to explicitly ask for the grace to "not regret" the decisions made. Fasting and communal prayer are, in this message, the normal setting for this search.