2022-06-03
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Elijah knew he hadn’t been unfaithful but was feeling very low in the face of the drought and hardship he had lived through. 1 K 19: 3-9 tells us that he was afraid and ran for his life of Ahab and Jezebel. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there and journeyed for a day in the wilderness alone. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it, and prayed that he might die. He pleaded to the Lord to take his life, as he thought he was no better than his ancestors. Then, he fell asleep. An angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around and saw by his head a loaf of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, then he lay down again. The same things happened again. The food and water strengthened him sufficiently for him to travel 40 days and nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. He saw a cave, went into it, and spent the night.
While Elijah was in the cave standing at it’s mouth, he saw a violent wind, then an earthquake, and finally a fire. The word of the Lord came to Elijah in a gentle whisper, asking him what he was doing there. He told the Lord he had been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. Then he went on to say that Israel had rejected God’s covenant, torn down altars to Him, and put His prophets to death with the sword. Elijah said he was the only one left and he was next, to be put to death. God commanded Elijah to go back the way he came and go to the desert of Damascus. When you arrive, anoint Hazael king over Aram, Jehu son of Nimshi king of Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 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. God reserved 7000 men who have not bowed to Baal and who have not kissed this false god [1 K 19: 10-20].
Elisha was plowing with 12 yokes of oxen with himself driving the last pair. Elijah threw his cloak around Elisha, who asked Elijah to let him bid his parents farewell. Once this was done, he slaughtered his oxen and cooked the meat using the wooden yoke to fuel the fire. This meat fed everyone there. Then, Elisha set out to follow Elijah, becoming his servant [1 K 19: 21].
As this story from 1 K 19, unfolds, we see Elijah losing his inner joy, even to the point of a depression deep enough to make him suicidal (with a wish that the Lord would let him die). This very same thing can happen to any of us but is often caused by not having God’s perspective or his knowledge. When this was happening to Elijah, the latter didn’t know that he was not the only prophet of God left. A large number of them had been hidden in a cave and were very much alive. Have any of you readers ever had an experience like this? What or who were the joy-killer’s in your life? Joy killers in my experience have been people who have been duplicitous, mean-spirited, who have displayed bad behavior toward me based on poorly conceived emotions and selfishness. We can’t control the behavior of others, but we can control our response to it. All humans have our faith in God tested from one time or another. We must realize that God gave us two eyes, two ears, two hands, but only one mouth. I remember a time when it became apparent after having sung solo and in choirs for almost 50 years that I had to withdraw from doing this due to health problems. I stupidly shook my fist in anger to God. This was a very human and not well considered emotion that I exhibited. What I didn’t realize at the time was the God was closing one door in my life to open another, much more influential and important one.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before Your mighty throne deeply flawed and having trouble learning to trust in You. Even someone with Elijah’s faith doesn’t always pass Your tests of faith. He allowed negative emotions to overcome his thinking at a time when his faith was sorely tested. Your son, Jesus, is the “Rock upon which Your church stands,” that “secure place where You put us after pulling us out of a slimy pit” [MT 16: 18a; PS 40: 1-2]. Elijah didn’t know that Jesus Christ is all over the OT, so he didn’t rely upon Him. And yet, Elijah knew the writings of the Torah and should have relied on them. All the while, Elijah had strong faith and served You with distinction. That is why You heard his prayers and came to him. You will come to us, if we remember to call to You in prayer with all our hearts, souls, and might. We thank and praise You for hearing our prayers and bringing blessing into our lives. In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: Next week I will answer the command of the Holy Spirit to write about how God equips us to deal with joy killers from my own experience and what defines joy. I think of glee as something we feel when things go our way, we discover a new capability we have, or we are celebrating important occasions. However, joy to me is something different than that. It’s a peaceful and good feeling that lasts. When the Lord Jesus made His presence known to me (which came later than I wished for in my life) and His persistence in remaining with me, I felt a deeply appreciated joy and inner peace like nothing I before experienced. It was a feeling that I somehow knew was possible, even before Christ entered my life. It was a growing knowledge that God had my back even through all those years before I wasn’t sure He existed. My spiritual life had been unfulfilled and seemingly empty before that time. For me, it was a marvelous discovery that God was indeed real and had been right from my birth, watching over and taking an interest in me. Once He arranged for me to learn about Him, His Son, and the Holy Spirit, I had never felt so loved. Of course, others around me claimed I was using faith in Christ as an emotional crutch for dealing with my problems. Yet, God was training me for the life He had in store for me. I would still have all the same challenges that other people have—career changes, illness, disappointments, the loss of loved ones and even a combative divorce. But there is another side to this coin, joy beyond my wildest imagination, found serving others, faith building, a second marriage of 44 years that was as close to ideal as anyone has in this life, and many long-term and satisfying friendships. Now, the Lord has set me on an adventure of discovering valued relatives arising from the genealogy work that I do. All of these and so much more are the blessings the Lord brings into my life—most especially faith in Him! Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2022. All Rights Reserved.
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