Wow. Cant even say how powerful this message is to me and should be to some people very dear to me. Thank you, Lakan! I am ever-amazed at how God puts a message in the heart of someone else that is such perfect timing for anothers need or to confirm what is He has been showing to someone else. No other religion has a god who claims to do that! Read on: I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 1 Kings 19:10 Discouragement has a way of distorting reality. The prophet Elijah was Gods instrument in showing the people of Israel that He was the only true God, that Baal was nothing but a god-pretender. After this great contest of the gods at Mount Carmel (where Baal was a no-show because he was a no-god) God empowered the prophet to outrun on foot King Ahab who was on his chariot all the way to Jezreel, a distance of a little over seventeen miles. It is hard to imagine the physical toll on Elijah being on the run for three years (1 Kings 18:1). The contest of the gods must have been exhilarating but it must also have taken a physical and emotional toll on him as he challenged the people: How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him (18:21). On top of all that he just outran a chariot seventeen miles. He was probably physically and emotional spent. So when he heard that the kings wife, Jezebel, had put a bounty on his head (19:1-2), this man of God plunged into despair and discouragement, Elijah was afraid and ran for his life... He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. I have had enough, LORD, he said. Take my life (19:3, 4). There are times when we feel we have come to the end of our rope. There are moments when darkness seem to overwhelm us and suffocate us. It is interesting how God ministered to the discouraged prophet. God gave him sleep then fed him and gave him water (19:5-6) . Sleep, food, and water. Twice (v. 7). Then God spoke to him (v. 9). Elijah knew that there were a hundred prophets of God hidden in caves (18:13). But discouragement has a way of blurring the truth. When asked by God what he was doing at Gods mountain, he responded, I am the only one left. Discouragement has a way of obscuring all the neat things in our life and focus solely on that which is bad. There may be a hundred and one beautiful things that we are experiencing and all it takes is one negative thing that somebody says to send us spiraling down to the abyss of depression. And discouragement and depression are very good at stripping us of our spiritual equilibrium. Many times the relief for such a great stress is simply rest, sleep, food. All the time, before and after and during stress, we need to hear the voice of God. Gods voice through His written Word, the Bible. Everything else--impressions, emotions, circumstances--must be processed through the lens of Gods Word. Gods Word is the only thing that will restore our spiritual equilibrium. Gods Word wonderfully surprises us with insights that lift our spirits, put steel in our veins, and make our hearts leap with joyful purpose. Elijah found out he was not alone. God said, I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him (19:18). Even without the seven thousand, even without the hundred, Elijah was not alone because God was with him. As a follower of Jesus Christ you are never alone. Not because you feel so, but because God says so. God assured us, I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you (Hebrews 13:5, MSG).
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 12:29:38 +0000
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