Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It has come to my attention that there are several dear friends of mine suffering from complex feelings of not wanting to continue stepping forward in their walk with God; but rather just go home now and live in the presence of our perfect Father for all eternity. At times we all experience the reality that the things of this world are vanity and a striving after the wind. However, this does not give us the right or privilege to even think about giving up now. Allow me to encourage you with a Biblical teaching in regard to this timeless internal turmoil.

1 Kings 19:1-18

1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”

3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep.

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.

And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

15 The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”

In the context of this incredible Biblical account Elijah is in a very precarious situation. He had just won what he considered to be the ultimate victory against the evil King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. After proving the falsehood of the god Baal, and even more, proving the supreme power and sovereignty of the one true God in front of the entire kingdom of Israel, and after killing by the sword all of the prophets of Baal, Elijah was STILL being hunted by Queen Jezebel.

In this moment, Elijah flees to escape death at the hand of his enemy and plea for death at the hand of his LORD, whom he had served faithfully in all things. But God’s reply to this is ‘Get up and eat.’

Now, in today’s context, we find ourselves in a slightly modified situation. The bread that we eat is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

John 6:32-35

32Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34″Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.”

35Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

Friends stay strong, be diligent in the work to which God calls us. All of the things Elijah did, he did through the empowerment of God and the aid of the angels; but we know that we are empowered with the Holy Spirit, the breath of God and His eternal wisdom, in ALL that we do that is done in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. Never forget that us being in the world and sanctified by the Word of God was the prayer of Jesus Christ. We MUST get up and eat because there is work to be done.

Lastly, I call to attention the whisper of God:

11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

When we know that God is present in our surroundings, we must be careful not to be distracted by the mountains bowing down before our LORD. Turn your eyes to the gentle voice of our LORD and listen with all intentness lest you not hear clearly the instruction of God for your life.

May grace and peace abound in your lives this day as you eat and drink the body and blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Justin Weekly

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 at 9:56 am and is filed under Journal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.