Loving others enough to pray for God to do whatever it takes to get their attention and bring them from a place of selfishness and disobedience to a place of repentance and faith will often bring about seasons of alienation from those very people as God does His work in their hearts. It’s often in these times that God brings us to a place of deeper faith ourselves.

When Elijah called for an end to rain because of Israel’s idolatry it landed him in a place of hiding in the wilderness by a tiny stream that would eventually run dry because of the very drought that Elijah foretold. If you’ve ever felt like you’ve served God faithfully only to be led to a creek that’s running dry, you’re in good company. The challenge in these tough times is to remember that as God works on the hearts of others, He’s at work on ours too: teaching us through everyday difficulties to trust in His provision, and preparing us for the next challenge and times of even greater influence.

To hear part 1 of the “Elijah” series click here.