1 Kings 19 (NKJV) Elijah Escapes from Jezebel And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” 3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” 5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” God’s Revelation to Elijah 11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 And he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” 15 Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17 It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. 18 Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” You have had enough. You just want to give up. You're done, finished, "over it". Time to throw in the towel, move on. We've all been there, many times. Have you ever prayed "Lord, take me now, I don't want to go on!"? Well, I'll admit it, I have. It's been a few years since I was at that point but I have. Pure misery, that's where you are when you pray for death. It's nothing to be ashamed of, Elijah was one of the greatest prophets in the Bible and he prayed for death. But then, he heard God's still small voice. Sometimes God has to bring us to the brink to get us to be quiet enough to hear him. What he told me that day was that in my weakness, He is strong. What He told me that day was that He never gives us more than we can handle. What He told me that day was to get up and keep moving forward, He would make a way. And I did. And He did. And He will for you. Trust Him. Listen to Him. He's a good Father and a good Father never leads his children astray. Blessings, Cecilia |
Read with us through the bible, God speaks to us through His word, deepens our faith and beliefs. What will God say to you? Read and find His comfort today! Stanford Sanctuary gets it name from a sign my mother had hanging on a wilderness cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a place that gave us peace. Blessings, The Stanford's
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