Quotes from R. T. Kendall

There was no water. Food by tons would have no value. You need water to survive. If the ravens brought Elijah filet steaks, fresh vegetables and the best-tasting bread it would have meant nothing.

When sudden change catapults you into something new, remember this: God has a better idea for how you should spend this time of your life. You may stubbornly say, "I am going to stay right here where this brook was, no matter what." But if the brook has dried up, like it or not, you have to move on. It is

God's way of getting your attention.

When the brook dries up, we know it is time to move. God has something better in mind. Count on it. He will never leave you nor forsake you (seen Hebrews 13:5). No good thing will He withhold from you when it is God's will

you want most of all (see Psalm 84:11). Paul admitted that he had to "learn" the secret of contentment in every situation. So with all of us. That learning process can sometimes be painful, but it is worth all we have to go through to get that knowledge of God's new plan.

After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land." So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. 1 Kings 18:1–2

When the brook dries up because there is no rain, but you say, "Praise the Lord," you bring great honor to God. Trust Him to show you the next step forward. He will. He is never too early, never too late, but always just on time. When God closes a door, He opens a window. Learn to accept the closed door and be prepared for the surprising window that will open. It opened for Elijah and it will open for you.

home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die." 1 Kings 17:8–12

Having been faced with a dried-up brook—a closed door if there ever was one—Elijah needed a window. He got it: The Lord told him to go to Zarephath of Sidon where a widow would look after him. The ravens and the brook, then, were to be succeeded by a Gentile widow about a hundred miles away. Zarephath was outside Israel in Gentile territory. It turns out that God had been at work behind the scenes: "I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food.

A huge difference between "in season" and "out of season" is this: "In season" is when God pleases you; "out of season" is when you have a golden opportunity to please God. You may think you are pleasing God when He shows up "in season," but, closer to the truth, He is pleasing you. When He hides His face, you should seize such a time with both hands. You

We will learn in this chapter of 1 Kings 17 the amazing and surprising ways God supplies our needs. But it also demonstrates God's love for all peoples, not only Israel.

The worse thing that can happen to a man or a woman, is for them to succeed before they are ready.

And yet this part of the story shows that God supplies our need in a way that is both extraordinary but also ordinary. The extraordinary: The flour and oil were never used up. The ordinary: There was just enough for each day. It was never a case of a hundred barrels of flour and oil being wasted before their eyes. The amount was small and always

there. Enough is enough. You do not need flour and oil for tomorrow; only for today. You can live only one day at a time. You can take only one bite at a time. What more could you cope with anyway? My dad's favorite verse was, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33). The next verse goes on to say, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

may seem unreasonable—that the blood of

Jesus could wash away your sins—but it is the only hope you have. Accept this offer now. Confess your sins to God. Thank Him for sending His Son. Transfer the trust you have in your good works to what Jesus did for you on the cross. Doing this will result in a pardon of all your sins. When the widow did what Elijah said to do, all he promised came to pass. It will with you, too, when you affirm this Gospel.

lost her only son—and Elijah to blame.

There is one person who will never let you down, will never fail you. Jesus Christ. He is perfect. Sinless. Faultless. He loves you more than you love yourself. He is always there. Always watching you. Never turning an eye from you. He loves you as though there were no other person to love. He will never, never, never fail you. Ever. Count on it. My whole life and ministry are based upon this premise: the absolute, unwavering perfection of Jesus.

The hiding of God's face is the essence of His discipline. Moreover, God never gives advanced warning when He will be hiding His face. If only He would say, "Next Tuesday about 3:20 P.M., you will notice that the light of My countenance will be withdrawn for a while." If only. Then we could be ready and not be shaken. But part of our preparation is learning how to respond in impossible situations when God seems very far away. And yet the widow was understandably in

When we can achieve calm and repose while those around us are losing their heads and blaming things on us, we are beginning to grow.

What do you do when you are misunderstood? Elijah impressively set a standard for how one should respond when

The more conscious of God's presence the more I feel like being myself, the less conscious of His presence, the more I feel I need to prove myself.

You are probably at your sanest when you come to the place where you abandon all else but your desire for God.

God is never too late, nor too early, but just on time.