When Believers Have to Suffer

Elijah was now in a very special situation. He had to experience the consequences of his own prayer there at the brook Cherith. He had prayed for it to stop raining so that the people would repent and return to God. And because it didn't rain, the brook dried up.

I have often thought recently that this could also happen to us in some respects. Perhaps some Christians prayed intensely some time ago that God would allow something to happen that would shake people out of their rut and really make them think.

And then God allows a coronavirus pandemic to happen, in which bars, brothels, clubs, and discos are closed in many places for a while, and some people start to think about eternity. In addition, many Christians suddenly realize that the coming of the Lord is very near.

But at the same time, you are suddenly affected by some kind of restrictions; you fall ill yourself or must go through difficult times. This is just one example to show that if you pray for revival, then you must also be prepared to pay a price for it yourself or accept suffering.

When the brook dried up, Elijah suddenly faced a change in his life. A change through which he was to grow spiritually.

For us, too, God often uses changing circumstances to teach us spiritual lessons and to help us grow in faith. Let me give you a few examples of what a drying brook might look like today in a figurative sense:

Good health is increasingly going down the drain. Or a business that is going from bad to worse or increasing alienation among brothers and sisters due to differences of opinion.

These are often painful. But we should not despair because of them. Rather, we should see it as an opportunity to mature spiritually and get to know God better!

This is why James also writes: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials" (James 1:2). The question is, of course, whether we have this spiritual view or whether we are striving to have a life that is as problem-free as possible.