1 Kings 17:1

1 Kings 17:1 says, And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.  Elijah the prophet of God told Ahab that there was about to be drought in the land.  Matthew Henry points out that we aren't told much about Elijah before his encounter with Ahab as we are about most prophets.  He told Ahab that there would be no dew or rain in the land as long as God determined there wouldn't be.  He said this would happen as surely as God lived.  Whatever God's word tells us will be true for as long as He lives, which is forever.  Verse two adds, And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,  God's word then came again to Elijah.  God does not just speak to us once and then ignore us when we have done what He wants us to do but gives us direction all of our life if we are followers of Christ and obedient to His will.  Verse three continues, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.  Elijah was told to go and hide at the brook of Cherith that was before Jordan.  Matthew Henry said he was to do this so that the people might not appeal to Elijah to invoke God to reduce the time of the drought and not for his safety.  Elijah went boldly to Ahab to proclaim God's punishment to him, but he also withdrew at God's command.  We must do whatever God tells us to do if we are to be successful in our Christian life.  Verse four states, And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.  God told Elijah that he was to drink from the brook and that the ravens would bring him food.  I don't know why God chose this method instead of just sending manna from Heaven as He had done in the wilderness, but it really isn't our responsibility to question the way God chooses to do His work.  We simply have to listen to Him and do whatever He calls us to do by faith.  Verse five adds, So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.  Elijah did what God told him to do, and so must we as Christians today.  Elijah did not question or argue with God, and neither should we when we know beyond a doubt what God has called us to do.  Verse six continues, And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.  The ravens brought Elijah bread and meat twice a day and he drank from the brook.  Had Elijah decided he was tired of being there or tired of the diet and left look for something better, he would have missed God's provisions.  If we decide we are tired of what God is providing for us and go seeking something more, we may lose His provisions as well.  Verse seven concludes, And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.  Eventually, the brook dried up because there had been no rain.  Even Elijah was not exempt from the eventual result of the drought.  Though I believe that God will always provide for us as long as we are obedient to Him, that doesn't mean that we will not suffer the effects of natural disasters along with those who either do not believe in God or do not put their faith in Him, so all we can do is remain faithful no matter what.