Cherith: The Place, The Preparation, The Purpose

Recently, I found myself questioning why some of the promises that the Holy Spirit had spoken to me were not coming to pass concerning ministry. I felt like I had been waiting long enough; although I had experienced some ministry accomplishments…why am I in this place of sitting and waiting now. I have the tendency to want to be busy doing something. The questioning became so uncomfortable and unbearable in my inner man that I cried out to the Lord from the depths of my soul in prayer. After I finished praying, I heard plainly the words “Cherith” “turn aside and go” I knew this was a portion of scripture that I had read about the prophet Elijah.

I found the passage in 1 Kings 17:3 Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. NKJV

Elijah was told to go to Cherith, immediately after he had prophesied a powerful word to King Ahab. His ministry had just started now he is being told to go hide. It doesn’t make sense in the natural, but God in his manifold wisdom…don’t think like we do…he sees further than we do and is all knowing as well. Elijah trusted in God and obediently went to Cherith.

I began to research what is the meaning of ‘Cherith.’ Cherith is a place which means: a cutting, separation. Cherith was a place of isolation for Elijah, a place where he was completely cut off from people and totally dependent on God to provide for him. I believe Cherith is a place that every believer who desires a deeper intimate relationship with the Lord must experience in order to fulfill His purpose in their lives. There is an assignment he is preparing each of us for, he has uniquely planned it so that we will finish strong and bring him glory; be a blessing to others as well.

Cherith was a place of private preparation for Elijah before he met Jezebel’s 450 Baal prophets at Mt. Carmel in 1 Kings 18:20-39). The Lord in his wisdom prepares us in private before he sends us onto the public platform. Without private preparation in the one-on-one intimate relationship with the Spirit of God we will become public performers all for our glory and not for His glory. The Lord told Elijah to hide himself…as I continued to read and reflect on 1 Kings 17…I began to discern the time that I was in…he wants my alone time, my focus to be on knowing him…not being busy ‘doing’…but it is a time of ‘being.’ It is only in Him that we can live, and move and have our ‘being’…. (Acts 17:28) In other words ‘being’ is about fulfilling His purpose not by ‘doing’ the purpose in our own strength. ‘Being’ is becoming that which he has destined us to be. In ‘Cherith’ he wants to cut off everything that will hinder us from fulfilling His greater purpose in our lives, and in the lives of others that he will send us to. ‘Cherith’ can also be defined as a place where flesh is separated from the Spirit; once we leave the place of ‘Cherith’ it will prepare us to be full of the Spirit of God and not our flesh. I believe when we pray for more of him, he sends us to ‘Cherith’ to be hidden so that we can be dependent on his presence to fill us to full capacity for the next assignment, filled with His Spirit to accomplish the greater work!

Let’s take a brief observation of two leaders that Holy Spirit prompted me to write about, Moses and Joseph. Moses was hidden twice, once in a basket floating along the Nile River. (Exod. 2) where he was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter and prepared in an Egyptian household for a purpose which God would later use for His glory. Secondly, he was hidden on the backside of a desert in preparation for a greater purpose. (Exod. 3) He had to have this ‘Cherith’ experience before God sent him back to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. What a great deliverance that took place! Awesome miracles, signs and wonders God performed through Moses. Moses knew God intimately; he is the only person recorded to have spoken to God face to face as a friend (Exodus 33:11) Joseph was hidden in prison before he was sent to the Pharaoh’s palace and became the number one man in that kingdom. (Gen. 39:19) The prison was his ‘Cherith’, it was his place of preparation to go onto the greater purpose God had for his family to bring them out of a land of famine in Caanan, to the best land in Goshen (Exodus 47:6) These two leaders had to have a ‘Cherith’ experience before they could experience the greater purpose God had in store for them and others for his glory. Hidden preparation is important in the life of one who desires to be used of God. I have met people who wanted the big ministry platform more than paying the price of preparation; the ministry that they have is full of chaos. I want to admonish all leaders to remember that Cherith prepares you for the platform of ministry whether big or small. It is not for your glory but God’s glory and the greater purpose of ministering to the needs of God’s people in whatever capacity he has called you to fulfill. I believe that in these end-time days ‘Cherith’ will be required for every man or woman of God to successfully battle the works of darkness that is at work in the world. That was a great showdown that happened that day on Mt. Carmel between Elijah and the false prophets. (1 Kings 18) I believe many are being prepared to be used mightily by the Spirit of God to show that the God we serve is greater! He is the God who answers by Fire!

As I reflect back on my life, I can recall there have been significant times in my life when I sensed the Lord wanted alone time with me…I found myself pulling aside from friends and family and spending more time seeking his face. It was during these times that I gained strength in the inner man, to continue the course. I can look back now and see that those times were my ‘Cherith.’ I want to encourage those that are reading this post to discern the time and season the Lord has you in so that you will not miss what he wants to fulfill in your life. Maybe God is calling you to turn and go to ‘Cherith’ he wants to prepare you for something greater…If you are in a ‘Cherith’ place don’t leave there until he sends you out…to your next assignment. Hear the voice of God and obey.

Blessings to all,

GotWord