“Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there.”

When we walk with God and follow His leading, there will be seasons that we go through. That is, there will be times when we are supposed to be in a certain place and do certain things. In 1 Kings 17, for example, the author tells us that Elijah was called to go to Zarephath in Sidon, and he was supposed to ride out the great drought the Lord had called down on the Northern Kingdom of Israel by staying with a widow that lived there.

Some of these seasons last only for a short time. It is up to us to discern God’s will and timing and get to the right place and do the right things. Elijah had originally been called by God to ride out the drought in the Kerith Ravine east of Jordan, but that season ended and he was given the new command of our verse for today.

The Bible teaches us to hold our plans lightly–to be ready to alter them at His signal. If we stubbornly stay in the same place doing the same things we will have effectively elevated ourselves above God. There is no place on earth and no task at hand that is more important than following our great God to where He is leading.

Even when following a call seems like sacrifice, there is provision when we are where we’re supposed to be. God sees to it that we get what we need. For a season, the ravens provided Elijah with food and the brook provided him with water in the Kerith Ravine. If he had refused to obey God’s command to move to Zarephath, however, then he may have died of thirst or starved to death. His obedience led him to Zarephath, where there was everything he needed.

Is God calling you to something new? Don’t fear that you can’t make sense of it; trust God and be prepared to be amazed.

By John Huisman, Friend of Bible League International