「過了些日子，溪水乾了，因為那地沒有下雨。」－列王紀上17:7
不信透過環境觀看神，像是在霧濛濛天候中觀看隱蔽的陽光；信心則將自己隱藏在神的身後，透過神來觀看環境。
終於，銀帶般涓細的河水成了散落在的池沼；池沼又轉眼間乾涸消失。
鳥兒高飛遠走了，林子裡的野獸也不再前來了；溪水終於乾枯，一無所剩。以利亞足足堅持到了這個時候，才聽見「耶和華的話臨到他，說，你起身往西頓的撒勒法去」（列王紀上17:8-9）。
若換作我們是以利亞，早就在溪水乾枯前，就開始盤算擔憂，焦急成病了。
當潺潺的水聲漸漸低微，我們也就停下頌讚和感謝的歌聲，將琴隨手掛在柳樹上，心急如焚的在枯黃的草地上來往踱步。早在溪水全然乾涸前，我們就為自己精打細算，向神求點祝福，便趕緊動身離開了。
儘管如此，神還是會願意解救我們；畢竟，祂的慈愛永遠長存；但如果我們肯先求問等候神的旨意，就不會陷入左右為難的困境中，羞羞慚慚地流著眼淚走向回頭路了。
要等候，耐心等候！
－邁爾
"It came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land" (1 Kings 17:7).Week after week, with unfaltering and steadfast spirit, Elijah watched that dwindling brook; often tempted to stagger through unbelief, but refusing to allow his circumstances to come between himself and God. Unbelief sees God through circumstances, as we sometimes see the sun shorn of his rays through smoky air; but faith puts God between itself and circumstances, and looks at them through Him. And so the dwindling brook became a silver thread; and the silver thread stood presently in pools at the foot of the largest boulders; and the pools shrank. The birds fled; the wild creatures of field and forest came no more to drink; the brook was dry. Only then to his patient and unwavering spirit, "the word of the Lord came, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath."
Most of us would have gotten anxious and worn with planning long before that. We should have ceased our songs as soon as the streamlet caroled less musically over its rocky bed; and with harps swinging on the willows, we should have paced to and fro upon the withering grass, lost in pensive thought. And probably, long ere the brook was dry, we should have devised some plan, and asking God's blessing on it, would have started off elsewhere.
God often does extricate us, because His mercy endureth forever; but if we had only waited first to see the unfolding of His plans, we should never have found ourselves landed in such an inextricable labyrinth; and we should never have been compelled to retrace our steps with so many tears of shame. Wait, patiently wait! --F. B. Meyer
