BCF Philly | Pastor Kenneth Sheppard | The importance of being in the right place at the right time

Jul 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Bold Declarations at the Brook of Crisis

When God calls us to confront giants or kings, our confidence must flow from His presence, not our pedigree. Elijah stood before a murderous ruler declaring drought not because of personal bravery, but because he stood "before the Lord God of Israel." True kingdom work happens when we anchor our identity in Whose we are rather than who we are. The brook of crisis becomes a classroom for courage when we speak God’s words to God’s enemies. [59:07]

Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." (1 Kings 17:1, ESV)

Reflection: What "Ahab-sized" challenge is God asking you to confront today? How might declaring "as the Lord lives" shift your perspective from fear to faith?

Day 2: Ravens and the Rhythm of Reliance

God’s provision often arrives through unlikely means at inconvenient times. Ravens—unclean scavengers—became divine caterers for Elijah at Cherith. The brook’s dwindling waters and bizarre meal deliveries trained the prophet to trust the Provider more than the provisions. Obedience to stay put while resources fade reveals whether we truly believe God commands both ravens and rivers. [01:15:57]

And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. (1 Kings 17:6, ESV)

Reflection: Where has God placed you in a season of "ravens and brooks"? How might He be using scarcity to deepen your reliance on His creativity?

Day 3: When Brooks Dry and God Disrupts

Divine disruptions dismantle our comfort to direct our calling. The brook’s drought wasn’t punishment but promotion—a nudge toward Zarephath’s greater assignment. God often stirs our stagnant waters to propel us into deeper purpose. What feels like abandonment is actually advancement when we view dried-up streams through the lens of divine timing. [01:28:52]

And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him, "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there." (1 Kings 17:7-9a, ESV)

Reflection: What "dried brook" in your life might be God’s invitation to move? How can you discern between circumstantial trouble and divine redirection?

Day 4: There Is Your There

Obedience transforms unknown destinations into appointed stations. Elijah didn’t choose Cherith or Zarephath—he simply went where "I have commanded." Our "there" becomes holy ground when we recognize God has pre-positioned everything needed for our assignment. Delayed obedience often means missed manna, for provision waits at the place of submission. [01:17:21]

So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. (1 Kings 17:5, ESV)

Reflection: Where has God clearly said "go" that you’ve hesitated to pursue? What manna might be waiting at your obedient "there"?

Day 5: Inadequate Tools for Eternal Tasks

Moses’ staff and Elijah’s brook reveal God’s pattern: He uses ordinary things surrendered by willing hands. Our trembling "who am I?" moments become divine "I AM" opportunities when we stop evaluating resources and start embracing relationship. The desert becomes a delivery room for miracles when we trade "I can’t" for "He can." [01:05:56]

But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" He said, "But I will be with you..." (Exodus 3:11-12a, ESV)

Reflection: What assignment makes you whisper "who am I?" How might embracing your inadequacy become the doorway to God’s sufficiency?

Sermon Summary

First Kings 17 sets Elijah in the importance of being in the right place at the right time. Elijah almost pops out of nowhere, but the text makes one thing clear: when God tells him to go, he goes. God sends him first to Ahab, then to the Brook of Cherith, then further to Zarephath. The right place and the right time are not what a person picks because it feels good. The right place is where God says, “go here,” and the right time is when God says, “go now.”

Elijah stands before Ahab with “glorified confidence,” confidence rooted in God and not in himself. The word Elijah carries is dangerous because Ahab is evil, Jezebel is evil, and Baal is supposed to control the weather. Elijah still declares that the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, and that there will be no dew or rain except by his word. God uses that moment to slap down a fake god and show that Yahweh is running everything.

Glorified confidence is not arrogance. Glorified confidence knows, “Lord, this was not the servant’s idea, it was Your idea.” God’s assignments stretch people beyond what natural ability can handle. The call exposes inadequacy on purpose, because as long as a person thinks he is enough, he will not depend on the One who is more than enough. God told Moses, “I will be with you,” and that was all the confidence Moses needed.

God then sends Elijah to an isolated brook, and the provision is already waiting there. The brook gives water, and the ravens bring bread and meat morning and evening. God had already commanded the birds before Elijah even arrived. Provision is not just a place. Provision is the place God appoints at the time God appoints. If a person stays “here” when God has said “there,” the blessing is missed, even while prayers keep going up.

The brook also dries up. The dried brook is not always God’s absence. Sometimes the dried brook is God’s presence, stirring things up to move His servant to the next assignment. God is the source, and the brook is only a resource. When the resource dries up, God has not run out. God is moving Elijah further, and the life of faith keeps learning to trust the process, move when God says move, and wait when God has not yet given the next instruction.

Key Takeaways

1. Confidence belongs in God alone. Glorified confidence is not personality, training, schooling, or the ability to sound strong in front of people. God gives assignments that are too big on purpose, so the servant can stop leaning on what is inside of himself and start leaning on the One who sent him. The real strength is not “I got it,” but “God is with me, and God told me to go.” [59:07]
2. Provision waits in the there. Elijah’s food was not waiting wherever Elijah preferred to be. God had commanded the ravens to feed him “there,” at the brook God named. Obedience is not just doing the right thing eventually; obedience is moving to the place God has appointed when God has appointed it. [75:57]
3. Do not run ahead of God. Some people refuse to leave here, but others get tired of here and start inventing their own there. God’s silence is not permission to make up a route. Waiting well means staying faithful in the current place until the Master gives clear instructions for the next one. [84:50]
4. A dried brook can redirect. The brook drying up did not mean God forgot Elijah. The dried brook became the sign that one assignment was ending and another was beginning. A loss of what once sustained a person may be painful, but it can also be God loosening the grip on a resource so the heart remembers the Source. [88:30]
5. God remains the source. Human beings can become so attached to the brook that the brook starts to feel like the provider. God gives resources, but He never lets the resource become God without challenging it. When the resource dries up, faith has to decide whether it trusted the gift or the Giver.

## [90:59]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[51:44] - Reading First Kings 17
[53:00] - Prayer for Hearing and Obedience
[54:08] - Wrong Place, Wrong Time
[55:52] - Right Place, Right Time
[58:49] - Three Truths From Elijah
[59:07] - Glorified Confidence Is Critical
[60:10] - Elijah Faces Evil Ahab
[65:10] - Moses and God’s Presence
[71:19] - Provision Is Already There
[75:57] - Ravens Waiting at the Brook
[80:16] - Moving From Here to There
[88:30] - When the Brook Dries Up
[91:45] - Divine Disruptions Redirect Lives
[100:18] - Prayer to Move by Faith

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Kings 17:1-9 (ESV)
1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 And the word of the Lord came to him: 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 And after a time the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”

Observation Questions

What specific actions did Elijah take in response to God’s commands in 1 Kings 17:1-9?
How did God provide for Elijah at the brook Cherith, and what happened when the brook dried up?
What example from Moses’ life was referenced to explain "glorified confidence"?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think God chose to use ravens (unclean birds) and a widow in Sidon (foreign territory) to provide for Elijah?
The sermon emphasized that God’s assignments often expose our inadequacies. Why would God intentionally call people to tasks they cannot handle on their own?
What does the drying brook symbolize about how God redirects His people, and how does this connect to trusting His timing?

Application Questions

Where in your life do you need to act with "glorified confidence" (total reliance on God) instead of leaning on your own abilities? What practical step can you take this week to surrender that area to Him?
Is there a "here" God has asked you to leave for a "there" (a relationship, job, habit, or mindset)? What’s holding you back from obeying?
Can you identify a "brook" in your life (a resource, relationship, or routine) that has dried up? How might God be using this to redirect you toward a new assignment?
When have you tried to "run ahead of God" by creating your own plans instead of waiting for His instruction? How can you practice patience in your current season?
The sermon mentioned that divine disruptions are often God’s way of moving us forward [38:42]. How can you shift your perspective to see challenges or losses as opportunities to trust God’s process?
What practical habits can you build to remind yourself daily that God—not your resources—is your ultimate source of provision and strength?

Sermon Clips

68s

#DivineDisruption

“``What do you do when your brook dries up? What do you do? Moments in your life that once sustained you, they dry up. What do you do? What do you do when your brook dries up the life you were living that you thought was the best ever begins to feel empty and pointless? What do you do? Most of us in those moments, we turn and ask God, why God? Why are you letting this happen? Why are you giving me this just to take it away? Many times in our lives, the drying up of things, the drying up of people, circumstances is not a sign of God's absence, it's a sign of his presence because he is divinely disrupting your life for a specific reason.”

78s

#LeaveComfortZone

“It's a word for somebody today. I don't know who. God told me to tell you, you've been here too long. You've been here too long. You should have been over there. That's where your provision is. That's where God has set up for you. And you don't want to go. You don't want to go. It's time to start heading there. And I know here is comfortable. I get that. And I know there is scary. Why? Because it's new. Shout out to Pastor Art, it's new. It's new. But is not scary when you know new is there, and there is where God told you to go. Everything you need is there, provision, protection, purpose. They're all there.”

46s

#LedByFaith

“We know we have it when we are able to tell God, Lord, I know I can't do this by myself, so I just need you to lead and guide me, direct me, to put in me everything that you need me to have, so I can accomplish the thing that you are commanding me to do. You don't need to feel ready when God gives you a command. I guarantee you won't be ready depending on the command. You just need to know that he's with you and that he's already gone before you and opened up doors and made ways that you know nothing about.”

51s

#GlorifiedConfidence

“We got to do our job. His job's already done. We got to get on board. When God assigns he will sustain you through it. We don't have to try to manufacture results, we don't have to try to prove anything on our own, we can do it by ourselves. Our job is to remain faithful and obedient. Glorified confidence allows you to serve without being stressed, to lead without being insecure and to speak without the fear of being rejected. Because what you'll find out is that the work is really not yours, it's his. He's just using you as a tool to get it done.”

87s

#DependOnGodNotSelf

“God's assignments for you and I are meant to expose our inadequacies. When God called you to you you should you should actually react almost like Moses, like, Lord, I can't do that. What are you talking about? They're meant to do do that, to expose your inadequacies, my inadequacies. It's on purpose. Stop us from trying to rely on ourselves and to totally rely on him. Because as long as you and I think we're enough, we'll never depend on the one that's more than enough. We got to get out of that. That's why the Bible always tells you to humble yourselves. No. You can't do what God's called. I can't be your pastor without God pushing me and being with me and speaking to me. I could never do it in a million years, but because he's with me and he talks to me all the time. I'm I'm He's talking, he's whispering things into my spirit. I go before him, I get quiet and just shut up and just listen to what he wants to say.”

73s

#ProvisionAtTheBrook

“Why would God send Elijah to this isolated brook in the middle of nowhere? First thing you might think is for protection and I think, yeah, part of it definitely was for his protection because you know Ahab wanted to kill him after. I don't even know how he got out, I know how he got out. God got him out, but it's it's you know it was God because there's no way in the world nobody could have walked out of the king's palace after saying that to him. Someway, somehow God worked it out when he got out of there. God says, now go to this brook. What does Elijah do? He goes to the brook. Why did he send him there? Protection? Yes. But also something I think even more important because the brook is where his provision was. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you, here it is, there. I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. Elijah's provision was in the exact place at the exact time where God was sending him.”

64s

#BeWhereGodSendsYou

“I heard pastors preach this text and they always talk about provision is a place, and that's partly true. Provision is the place that God says for you to go. That is provision, supernatural provision, where God says go when he says It's a specific place God appoints at a specific time. And Elijah moved in obedience. God's divine provision was there. Question is then for you all and for myself: Are you there today? Are you there? Are you in the place at the time where God told you to go?”

55s

#RightPlaceRightTime

“Are you there? Because that is where all of your provision is. Are you at your brook? Are you where God told you to be? Because you can't be at the place at the wrong time, you'll miss it. You can't be at the right time at the wrong place, you'll also miss everything that God has for you. And a lot of people are not there today. A lot of Christians are not there, meaning where God wants them to be. Christians are missing out on their provision because they aren't in the right place at the right time.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Bethesda Christian Fellowship Church of God This sermon · AI assistant

What is glorified confidence and why necessary?

How does God provide in appointed places?

Why are divine disruptions often for good?

BCF Philly | Pastor Kenneth Sheppard | The importance of being in the right place at the right time

Devotional

Day 1: Bold Declarations at the Brook of Crisis

Day 2: Ravens and the Rhythm of Reliance

Day 3: When Brooks Dry and God Disrupts

Day 4: There Is Your There

Day 5: Inadequate Tools for Eternal Tasks

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

BCF Philly | Pastor Kenneth Sheppard | The importance of being in the right place at the right time

Share