Week 1 — Elijah Appears: Trusting God in Obscurity

📖 Text: 1 Kings 17:1–7

Where and When Are We?

Before we jump into Elijah, we need to understand what’s going on in Israel.

The nation of Israel is divided.

The king in the north is Ahab, and the Bible says he did more evil than any king before him (1 Kings 16:30).

Ahab married Jezebel, who worshiped a false god named Baal.

Under their leadership, Israel had turned away from God.

👉 Baal was believed to be the “god of rain and storms.” So if Baal is in charge of rain… and God shuts off the rain… what is God proving?

Discussion Question:

Why do you think God would choose something like rain to prove His power?

No Signal

Hold up a phone and say:

“Imagine your phone says No Service. No calls. No texts. No internet. Nothing.”

Now say:

“That’s what life was like spiritually in Israel. They weren’t hearing from God. They were disconnected.”

Then transition:

“And out of nowhere… God sends a message.

📖 1 Kings 17:1–7 (Read it aloud with pauses)

1 Kings 17:1–7 CSB

1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from the Gilead settlers, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, in whose presence I stand, there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command!” 2 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan. 4 You are to drink from the wadi. I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” 5 So he proceeded to do what the Lord commanded. Elijah left and lived at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan. 6 The ravens kept bringing him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening, and he would drink from the wadi. 7 After a while, the wadi dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

God Uses Unknown People

📖 1 Kings 17:1 “Now Elijah the Tishbite…”

1 Kings 17:1 CSB

1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from the Gilead settlers, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, in whose presence I stand, there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command!”

God Uses Unknown People

Pause and say:

“Wait… who?”

That’s the point.

Elijah just shows up.

No introduction.

No backstory.

No resume.

👉 He’s not famous. 👉 He’s not known. 👉 He’s just available.

Teaching Moment: God is not looking for the most popular person—He’s looking for the most willing.

Illustration — “Benchwarmer to Starter” Think about sports:

Sometimes the star player gets hurt…

And the benchwarmer gets put in…

And suddenly—they change the game.

👉 God loves using people nobody expects.

Discussion Question:

Do you ever feel like you’re not “important enough” for God to use?

HE is not choosing you because you are important, this is shown through Elijah, was he important?

no, this is to show us something, that he is the one to get all of the glory.

All it requires from us is obedience.

Obedience Requires Bold Faith

📖 1 Kings 17:1 “As the Lord God of Israel lives… there will be no dew or rain…”

1 Kings 17:1 CSB

1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from the Gilead settlers, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, in whose presence I stand, there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command!”

Obedience Requires Bold Faith

Think about this:

Elijah walks up to the most powerful king…

And basically says, “It’s not going to rain… because God said so.”

👉 That’s bold.

But also dangerous.

Because:

No rain = famine

Famine = anger

Anger = blame

And guess who gets blamed? Elijah.

Teaching Moment: Obeying God doesn’t always feel safe—it feels risky.

Illustration — “Sending the Text You’re Nervous About” You ever had to send a message and you sat there like:

“Should I say this?”

“What if they respond weird?”

“What if this goes bad?”

Now imagine that feeling—but times 100.

👉 That’s Elijah walking up to Ahab.

Discussion Question:

What is something God might be calling you to do that feels uncomfortable?

God Often Leads Us Into Hidden Places

📖 1 Kings 17:2–3 “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide at the Wadi Cherith…”

1 Kings 17:2–3 CSB

2 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan.

God Often Leads Us Into Hidden Places

Catch this:

God uses Elijah in a BIG moment…

Then immediately sends him into hiding.

👉 That doesn’t make sense to us.

We would think: “God, now that I’ve done something big… use me MORE!”

But God says: “Go hide.”

Teaching Moment: God often prepares us in private before using us in public.

Illustration — “Practice vs Game Time”

Nobody sees practice.

Nobody cheers in practice.

It’s quiet, repetitive, sometimes boring.

But practice is what prepares you for the game.

👉 Cherith was Elijah’s “practice.”

Discussion Question:

Why do you think God values what happens in private so much?

God Provides in Unexpected Ways

📖 1 Kings 17:4–6 “I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.”

1 Kings 17:4–6 CSB

4 You are to drink from the wadi. I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” 5 So he proceeded to do what the Lord commanded. Elijah left and lived at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan. 6 The ravens kept bringing him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening, and he would drink from the wadi.

God Provides in Unexpected Ways

Let that sink in.

Birds…

Bringing food…

Twice a day…

That’s wild.

👉 God used something completely unexpected to meet Elijah’s needs.

Teaching Moment: God’s provision doesn’t always look the way we expect—but it’s always enough.

Illustration — “The Weird Lunch Trade”

You ever traded lunch at school?

You didn’t expect to eat what you ended up with…

But somehow, it worked out.

👉 God’s provision can feel like that—unexpected, but exactly what you need.

Discussion Question:

Have you ever seen God provide in a way you didn’t expect?

Trusting God When Things Dry Up

📖 1 Kings 17:7 “After a while, the wadi dried up…”

1 Kings 17:7 CSB

7 After a while, the wadi dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

Trusting God When Things Dry Up

Wait… what?

God sent him there… God provided there… And now it dries up?

👉 That’s confusing.

Teaching Moment: Just because something dries up doesn’t mean God has left you.

Sometimes:

A season ends

A situation changes

A door closes

👉 Not because God failed—but because God is moving you.

Illustration — “Leveling Up in a Game”

In video games:

You don’t stay on level 1 forever

The environment changes

The challenge increases

👉 God moves you forward—even when it feels uncomfortable.

Discussion Question:

How do you usually respond when something in your life doesn’t go how you expected?

Big Idea Recap

Say this clearly:

God prepares His people in hidden places before using them in public.

Who else did God do this to?

David

maybe we should pay attention to this

1. God can use you—even if nobody knows you

You don’t have to be popular, loud, or “perfect.”

2. Obedience might feel uncomfortable—but it’s worth it

God is more concerned with your obedience than your comfort.

3. Your “hidden season” matters

What you do when nobody sees you is shaping who you become.

4. God will provide—even when it looks different

Trust Him, even when it doesn’t make sense.

Closing Challenge

Ask:

Where is God asking you to obey right now?

What “hidden place” are you in?

Are you trusting Him… or fighting Him?

The Spotlight

Say:

“Everyone wants the spotlight… But nobody sees the preparation behind it.”

👉 Elijah didn’t start on Mount Carmel. 👉 He started at a brook… alone… trusting God.