Podcast Summary: Faith of Our Fathers

Episode: Elijah in Concealment by Howard Hendricks
Date: November 3, 2025
Host: WDAC Radio Company
Speaker: Howard Hendricks

Overview

This episode features the late Howard Hendricks, revered as “The Prof,” in a powerful expository message on “Elijah in Concealment,” based on 1 Kings 17:2–7. Hendricks explores the often-neglected spiritual discipline of concealment—times when God calls His servants out of the limelight into hiddenness. Interweaving biblical narrative, personal anecdotes, and pointed commentary, Hendricks challenges listeners to embrace seasons of obscurity as God’s preparation for greater usefulness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Danger of Shallow Christianity and the Need for Authenticity

• [00:15] - [01:10]
  • Hendricks quotes Chad Walsh to challenge nominal or “mild” Christianity, warning against emotional, non-committed religiosity.
  • Quote:

    “There is nothing as repulsive as phoniness in the spiritual realm. Conversely, there is nothing as magnetic as reality.”

• The authenticity of Elijah is highlighted as a refreshing alternative to spiritual mediocrity.

2. Recap: Elijah in Confrontation

• [01:12] - [02:20]
  • Briefly reflects on Elijah’s boldness in 1 Kings 17:1, facing King Ahab and confronting a culture in spiritual decline.
  • Elijah’s power in public came from conviction, responsibility, and prayerful intimacy with God.

3. The Heart of the Message: Elijah in Concealment

• [02:23] - [07:34]
  • Hendricks introduces the flow of 1 Kings 17:2-7 using four recurring words:
    • Command (vv.2–3): God’s directive to hide at the Brook Cherith.
    • Promise (v.4): Provision through ravens and the brook.
    • Response (vv.5–6): Elijah’s obedience.
    • Test (v.7): The brook dries up.

A. Command – The Paradox of Hiding Yourself

• [03:15]

  • “Go hide yourself. Lord, when there’s so much to be done...hide yourself?”
  • Hendricks underscores how concealment feels counterintuitive to Christian activism and ministry.

• Personal reflection: It’s harder to step back than to step forward—“We are compulsive activists, and there are so many voices clamoring for our attention that it is easy to miss the voice of God in process.”

• Anecdote: Conversation with a frantic pastor, “If I stop to think, I get behind,” illustrates how busyness can stifle spiritual depth.

  • Quote:

    “The unexamined life is not worth living. And how we need to hear in our giddy age: Go hide thyself.” [04:58]

B. Promise – God’s Sufficiency in Obscurity

• [07:35] - [10:56]

  • God’s commands always come with His provision.

  • Example: Dallas Seminary’s early financial crisis and miraculous provision through an unexpected donation, illustrating God’s faithfulness.

    • Quote (about Dr. Ironside’s prayer):

      “‘Lord, we know that the cattle on a thousand hills are thine. Please sell some of them and send us the money.’ ...Dr. Chafer took the check out of her hand for exactly the same amount of the debt...He turned to Dr. Ironside and he said, ‘Harry, God sold the cattle.’” [09:47]

  • Relevance to listeners who dream “impossible” dreams for God—“He will supply.”

C. Response – The Obedience of Elijah

• [10:57] - [17:13]

  • Elijah obeys without argument, in contrast to the tendency to debate or bargain with God.

  • Hendricks humorously links to Acts 9 (Ananias and Saul) and the ease with which churches can accept or reject people for trivial reasons.

    • Illustrative irony: “If he grunts, he’s in.” [14:08]
    • On Ananias debating God:

      “Did you ever do that in your praying, Lord? This is Hendricks, 2820 Milmar Drive...” [15:36]

  • Central principle:

    • Quote:

      “The opposite of ignorance in the spiritual realm is not knowledge, it is obedience. To obey is better than sacrifice... He went and did according to the word of the Lord.” [16:44]

D. Test – The Drying Brook

• [17:14] - [28:23]

  • The brook dries up, testing Elijah’s faith and obedience.

  • Hendricks relates modern examples—a seminary student giving up a successful career, facing sickness and financial crisis—and notes that these challenges are part of God’s curriculum for spiritual growth.

  • Illustration from Mark 4:

    • The disciples, after learning about faith, immediately face a storm on the sea—“You do not learn faith by lectures. You learn faith in the laboratory of life.”
    • Quote:

      “Privilege creates responsibility. Revelation demands a response. God has commanded, He has promised. The next step is yours. It’s a step of obedience. But mark it well. The moment you take a significant step of obedience, you’re going to be put into the crucible.” [26:29]

4. Personal and Corporate Application

• [28:24] - [29:30]

  • Many listeners may be sitting by a “drying brook”—in career, emotions, finances, spiritual life.

  • Sometimes our prayers—“Make me like your Son”—are answered through adversity.

  • Quote:

    “Don’t perform an abortion upon the divinely devised process. Let patience have her perfect work...He wants to make you just like His Son.” [29:08]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |---|---|---| | 01:10 | Hendricks | “There is nothing as repulsive as phoniness in the spiritual realm. Conversely, there is nothing as magnetic as reality.” | | 04:58 | Hendricks | “The unexamined life is not worth living. And how we need to hear in our giddy age: Go hide thyself.” | | 09:47 | Hendricks (via Dr. Chafer) | “‘Harry, God sold the cattle.’” | | 14:08 | Hendricks | “If he grunts, he’s in.” (On shallow church membership vetting) | | 16:44 | Hendricks | “The opposite of ignorance in the spiritual realm is not knowledge, it is obedience.” | | 26:29 | Hendricks | “The moment you take a significant step of obedience, you’re going to be put into the crucible.” | | 29:08 | Hendricks | “Don’t perform an abortion upon the divinely devised process. Let patience have her perfect work...He wants to make you just like His Son.” |

Important Timestamps and Segments

• 00:04: Introduction to Howard Hendricks and setup of the Elijah narrative
• 03:15: Go Hide Yourself—paradox of divine instruction
• 09:47: Dallas Seminary and the “God sold the cattle” miracle of provision
• 14:08: Church anecdote—on taking church membership lightly
• 16:44: Obedience over knowledge
• 17:14: The test of the drying brook—how God tests and develops faith
• 23:50: Mark 4—discussing faith’s laboratory, not just lectures
• 29:08: Final exhortation on trusting God’s process

Tone and Language

Hendricks’s tone is conversational, candid, and often wryly humorous (“If he grunts, he’s in”), yet deeply earnest. He mixes practical application with biblical storytelling, aiming to comfort and challenge listeners in equal measure.

Conclusion

Howard Hendricks’s message, “Elijah in Concealment,” is a timely call to embrace spiritual disciplines of obscurity, reflection, and patient obedience. Drawing from Elijah’s experience by the brook Cherith, Hendricks insists that effective public ministry springs from authentic private walk, and that God’s curriculum for growing faith often includes times of hiddenness and hardship.

Listeners are reminded:
When God calls you to a season of concealment, He also promises to provide and, ultimately, to shape you into the image of His Son.

Recommended for:
Anyone facing transition, uncertainty, or feeling hidden in their calling, as well as those needing encouragement to trust God’s process during spiritual “drying brooks.”