My Wadi Cherith Season: Discovering the God Who Provides

"Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there."
— 1 Kings 17:3-4

When God told Elijah to go to Wadi Cherith, it was not because Elijah had failed. In fact, just before this moment, Elijah had boldly stood before King Ahab and declared the word of the Lord. He was walking in obedience, yet God still called him into a hidden place.

Wadi Cherith was a place of separation, surrender, and preparation. It was where God removed Elijah from the demands of ministry and taught him a deeper level of trust. It was where Elijah discovered that God Himself—not the brook, not the ravens, not his circumstances—was his true source of provision.

As I look back on my journey, I realize that coming to California was my own Wadi Cherith season.

It was not a season I expected, and it certainly was not a season I would have chosen. But it became one of the most transformational seasons of my life.

When I arrived in California, I was already walking through a significant health journey. I had been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and my body was exhausted from years of fighting an autoimmune battle. I was learning how to care for my body, restore my health, and trust God as Jehovah Rapha—the God who heals.

Then, in the middle of this healing journey, I experienced a severe back injury that brought another unexpected challenge. For months, I dealt with intense pain and limitations that forced me to slow down in ways I never would have chosen.

For someone who has spent much of my life serving, traveling, building, leading, and pouring into others, being forced into a season of stillness was incredibly difficult.

But what I initially saw as an interruption, God saw as an invitation.

He was inviting me into deeper healing.

Not just physical healing, but emotional, spiritual, and soul-level healing.

In the quietness of this season, God began revealing places in my heart that needed His touch. He reminded me that my worth was never found in what I could accomplish, how much I could produce, or how many people I could help.

My identity was found in being His beloved daughter.

The God Who Provides in the Wilderness

One of the greatest lessons God taught me during this season was that He truly is Jehovah Jireh—the God who provides.

When I came to California, I stepped into a season where I had no salary, no health insurance, and no predictable source of income. From a human perspective, it did not make sense.

But God.

Over and over again, He showed me that He was not limited by my circumstances.

Just like He commanded ravens to bring food to Elijah, God provided for me through unexpected people, unexpected opportunities, and divine appointments that could only have been orchestrated by Him.

Every time I wondered how a need would be met, God already had a provision waiting.

The amazing thing about Elijah’s story is that God did not provide a warehouse of food or an endless supply of resources. He provided enough for each day.

And that is what He taught me.

To trust Him one day at a time.

To stop looking at what I lacked and start recognizing the abundance of His faithfulness.

The Brook Was Never the Source

One of the most powerful parts of Elijah’s story is that eventually the brook dried up.

At first glance, that could have looked like a failure.

Had God forgotten him?

Had God stopped providing?

No.

The brook drying up was actually a sign that God was moving Elijah into his next assignment.

The brook was never the source.

God was.

I believe many of us struggle because we place our trust in the things God uses to provide rather than trusting the God who provides.

We trust the job.

We trust the bank account.

We trust the insurance.

We trust the plan.

And while God can absolutely use those things, they were never meant to become our foundation.

Only He can hold that place.

My Wadi Cherith season taught me that God does not need the world’s systems to sustain His children. He is not limited by a lack of resources. He is not intimidated by impossible circumstances.

He is still the God who sends ravens.

Hidden Seasons Are Holy Seasons

Throughout Scripture, we see that God often prepares people in hidden places. 

David was formed in the wilderness before becoming king.

Moses was shaped in the desert before leading Israel.

Jesus spent time in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry.

And Elijah was hidden beside a brook before calling down fire from heaven.

The hidden place is not a place of rejection.

It is a place of preparation.

California has become that place for me. It was where God slowed me down enough to hear His voice more clearly. It was where He taught me to receive instead of always give. It was where He reminded me that my greatest assignment is not what I do for Him, but who I become in Him.

A Testimony Still Being Written

One of the greatest testimonies from this season has been watching God bring healing to my body.

When I was first diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, my TSH level was around 45, far outside the normal range. Without taking thyroid medication, I chose to pursue healing through prayer, lifestyle changes, and supporting my body while trusting God’s ability to restore.

Over time, my foundational bloodwork remained stable, and then I experienced what I can only describe as a miracle. My thyroid function shifted from severe underactivity to producing too much thyroid hormone, showing a dramatic change from where I started.

There is still a journey ahead as my body continues to come into balance, but I celebrate every step because every improvement is a reminder that God is faithful.

Healing is not always instant. Sometimes it’s a journey. 

Sometimes God restores suddenly.

Sometimes He restores slowly.

But in every season, He is present.

He is faithful.

He is Jehovah Rapha.

If You Are in Your Own Wadi Cherith

Maybe you are walking through a season that feels hidden.

Maybe your plans have changed.

Maybe your health has been challenged.

Maybe your finances look uncertain.

Maybe you are wondering why God has allowed you to be in a place you never expected to be.

I want to encourage you: do not despise the hidden season.

The place where God has brought you may not be where you stay forever, but it may be where He does His deepest work.

It may be where He heals wounds you didn't know were there.

It may be where He teaches you that His presence is greater than your circumstances.

It may be where you discover that He truly is enough.

The same God who provided for Elijah beside a quiet brook is the same God who provides for us today.

Your Wadi Cherith is not the end of your story.

It is the place where God prepares you for what comes next.

And when the brook dries up, you can trust that the God who sustained you there is already waiting ahead.