I really like the stories about the Prophet Elijah, but it seems to me like he just appears on the scene in 1 Kings 17. He didn’t come from a family of prophets, and there is no indication that he had connections that would have granted him an audience with King Ahab, the king of Israel. He just went boldly to the king and pronounced that there would be a total drought in Israel for many years.

What gave him such authority, confidence and boldness? The answer is that he had a fresh Word from God. That’s what put him in a position of authority and gave him a sense of security. Elijah had the courage to step out into a seemingly difficult assignment because he had heard from God and believed what God told him.

Every believer should carry a fresh revelation from Heaven with them at all times. If nothing else, we have heard the Gospel of salvation and received forgiveness for our sin. If we would just be bold enough to share that Truth with others, we would witness the miracle of the new birth in the lives of people all around us.

If Elijah hadn’t been bold enough to speak the Word that God had given him, then when the drought occurred, Ahab wouldn’t have associated it with a judgment from God. It would have been easy to dismiss it as just one of those “weather things” that happen. Since Elijah prophesied the drought before it came to pass, there was no doubt that God was at least speaking through this drought and that Elijah was the instrument He would use to bring a fresh word to the nation of Isreal.

Elijah’s willingness to risk everything for what God had shown him was one of the key elements that propelled him into leadership in Israel. Elijah’s obedience put his life in jeopardy, but God willingly provided for him. God tells him

“Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be [that] you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” (1 Kings 17:3-4)

Amazing as it sounds, being obedient to God puts us in a position to receive His supernatural supply (Isa. 1:19). One of the reasons so few people experience supernatural Provision is because they aren’t doing what God has told them to do. There is no need for God to supply our needs when we aren’t doing anything that requires more than what we can produce. We must move in faith and get out on a limb… that’s where the fruit emerges.

One of the great lessons to learn from Elijah’s life is that God didn’t send Elijah’s provision directly to him. He sent the provision to where He told Elijah to go… it was intertwined in his assignment. In verse 4, God said he had commanded the ravens to feed him “THERE”. “THERE” was beside the brook Cherith… a predetermined place. If Elijah would have stayed where he was, he may have starved; not because God was unfaithful, but because he wasn’t “THERE”… where God set the provision to be.

The ravens were already gathering Elijah’s first meal when the Lord spoke to him. God said in verse four, “I have commanded”… meaning its already in process. The bread and meat would have been deposited at the brook Cherith regardless of whether Elijah appeared. Because Elijah obeyed, he received the benefit from God’s faithfulness and provision. Remember that God intended to care for Elijah when he took seriously the assignment. Its an enormous issue for us to take responsibility and connect to our assignment.

A Fresh Word from God is more powerful than we know.