If you would like to extend this over a week, you can easily do one of the points each day of your devotion.  Here is a printable version.

Why does God allow shortages in our lives?  We all ask that question when we're facing hard times.  The answer is that God is all we need--but we don't know that until God is all we've got.  In this lesson on hope, we're going to look at three incidents from the life of Elijah, a prophet of God who lived around 900 B.C.  

His story is found in 1 Kings during a time when the northern kingdom of Israel was in serious decline.  The government was bankrupt and the entire nation was in recession.  After a long run of bad leaders, they were now being ruled by the worst of all:  King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.  God sent Elijah to confront Ahab, which is what we read in the verse above.  Naturally, this message enraged Ahab and Jezebel who put out a contract to have Elijah killed.  What did God do?  He sent Elijah on a three-part adventure in learning that God was all he needed.  

Open in prayer.

Monday

1.  Kerith:  A time of obscurity.

1 Kings 17:2-7 - Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there." 5 So he did what the Lord had told him.  He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 Sometime later the Brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.  

Read 1 Kings 2-7.

*Who led Elijah into this ravine in the first place?  _________________________________________

*How did God miraculously provide food and water?  ____________________________________

*After Elijah had lived there a while, what happened to God's provision?  ________________
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Tuesday

What to remember:
When we find ourselves in a deep rut in our lives, there are three things to remember.  

1)  I'm in a rut...  to keep me from depending on what has sustained me in the past (in Elijah's case:  Kerith).

2)  I'm in a rut...  to move me to a better place.  

3)  I'm in a rut...  to prove God hasn't forgotten me.

*Kerith means "cut off."  Elijah was stuck in a deep rut, all by himself, and cut off from support from family and friends.  Have you ever been in a deep valley like this?  _______________________
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What did you learn through it?  ________________________________________________________________
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*Why does God lead us into dry seasons?  ____________________________________________________
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*Think of an example from your life when you thought all the good in your life had disappeared.  _________________________________________________________________________________
What happened?  _____________________________________________________________________________
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What good came out of it?  ___________________________________________________________________
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Wednesday

It can be scary when we have all the props knocked away from our lives.  Think of Elijah's story and how dependent he must have become on the birds who fed him and the brook that sustained him.  What birds and brooks are you depending on?  ______________________________
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As a deliberate act, take a moment to relinquish to God those things you are depending on right now to get you through.   As you do, thank Him for being your Source.  _________________
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2.  The journey:  A time of insecurity.

1 Kings 17:8-10 - Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there.  I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food." 10 So he went to Zarephath.  

What did God tell Elijah to do?  ________________________________________________________________
What did he promise?  ________________________________________________________________________
What was Elijah's response?  __________________________________________________________________

Thursday

What to remember:
    ... When you're on a journey that scares you to death:

1)  The path to a miracle is always through uncomfortable territory.
2)  The source of a miracle is always unexpected.
3)  The pattern of a miracle is always:  command - promise - risk.

*  Think of how the steps of CPR --command, promise, risk-- are seen in 1 Kings 17:8-9a.  
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*  When we're on a journey we often try to figure out the "whys" of God's plan for us.  Sound familiar? Does this help in the journey?  Why or why not?  _____________________________________
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Why do you think the path to a miracle is so uncomfortable and unexpected?  _______________
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Friday

Personal Application and Commitment

Philippians 4:19 - My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Lessons for Hopeless Times

While He may not ask you to live in a ravine for a year, send you into enemy-occupied territory with a bounty on your head, or ask you to depend on a poor widow for your sustenance, God wants you to learn to rely on Him in your time of need, just as Elijah did.  What are you lacking today?  Resources?  Relationships?  Results?  Revenue?  Whatever it is, God wants you to learn these four things:

1)  God is all I need.  Draw close to Him and let Him be your supply.

2)  Where God guides, He provides.  His direction includes His provision.

3)  I must trust Him one day at a time.   He promises us what we need when we need it.

4)  God's promises hinge on my obedience.  Remember CPR:  Command, Promise, Risk. 

God has promised to meet all your needs.  Do you believe Him?  Take a few moments to think of where you need a miracle right now.  Or encourage someone you know with a time God has worked a miracle in your life.  What step of obedience will you take this week to trust God's promise for you?  ______________________________________________________________________________
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