Happy Friday! It’s June 16, 2023. It comes like a thief to steal your joy. You get depleted, and your motivation is on empty. You’ve been doing what you’re supposed to, but now you’d like to call it quits. Don’t feel too bad. You’re in good company. Elijah was there too. What did he do when that happened? Read on …
Today's Reading:
1 Kings 17,18,19; Colossians 2
Scripture
"Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. [Then] the angel of the Lord ... touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.’ 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. There he went into a cave and spent the night” (1 Kings 19:3,7-9)
Observation
Elijah is my hero ... indomitable and unflappable. Resolute in spirit, he controls droughts and commands the rains. Although there is a bounty on his life, he remains unwavering. He defies Ahab, conquers idolatrous priests, and outruns chariots! You could make a movie about this guy! But in the third verse, something seems drastically wrong. Jezebel, Ahab's wife, is fed up with the prophet, and Elijah, the unconquerable, becomes afraid and runs for his life!
Was it the woman? I don't think so. Then what was it?
Application
Elijah was worn down. Fatigue depleted him. His constant efforts, lengthy battles, being pursued yet still having unfinished business wore him out. It made him susceptible. It got to the point where the Israelite hero became so depressed he couldn't eat (19:6) and wanted to commit suicide (19:40.) What we call an "all-time low," the devil calls "an opportune moment."
Each of us will hit these points in our lives, and it will be at moments like these that we must find a Mount Horeb. That's the same mountain where the burning bush was located and the same mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments. We live in such a fast-paced world. We convince ourselves that if we hide away on a Mount Horeb to hear from God as Moses did, the world will pass us by!
Let it. It may be time we let the world pass by in order to stay in step with the Lord.
Prayer
Thank You for these biblical heroes that, although You used them to do great exploits, had feet of clay. Please help me never to think it’s a sign of weakness to find my Mount Horeb. That may very well be the secret to great strength and longevity.
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