Loving God, look mercifully on the needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for this morning is from 1 Kings 19: 1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow." 3 Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." 5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat." 6 He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." 8 He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. 9 At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." 11 He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking 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 sound of sheer silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 14 He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." 15 Then the Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus."
You ever have one "of those days?" When nothing seems to go right? You think you're doing exactly what you need to do and as a result you get beat down or worse? Elijah was having not just "one of those days," he was having a career crisis. He had been called by God to preach and teach God's word and he came up against his harshes and meanest critics. These two not only disliked him, they wanted his head. Elijah did what many of us sometimes think we want to do, and that is to flee. He wanted somewhere to hide and off he ran. Exhausted from his running he sat down and asked God to take his life; he was ready to die. There was no answer from God so Elijah lay down to sleep and was awakened by an angel of hte Lord who brought him warm food. Elijah ate, no questions asked. This happened a second time, this time with an interesing instruction that came with it: "You better eat, 'cause you're gonna need it!" And with that Elijah sought refuge in the place he knew God might visit him. He was right, God did visit him at the lowest point of his life; told to stand outside where he was, God passed by in different ways, showing strength he had not imagined: A great destructive wind, an earthquake, and a fire. God was not in any of those. Then sheer silence. In the sheer silence, God spoke and asked him what he was doing. After sharing his side of the story, God simply told him to continue that to which he had been called.
You and I have had several "of those days." We have had more than our fair share of critics and those who go out of their way to make our life miserable. Some of us may even have thought about the options of leaving that to which we have been called to do something else, something less stressful. We have asked of God to be re-appointed or re-assigned, only to hear God say that we were to stay and to continue where we were. And this has come with the assurance that God is with us even when it seems we are most alone. God has the strength and power of a mighty wind, an earthquake, a fire and even the power of sheer silence. Talk with God and you will hear what you are to do.
PRAYER: Loving God, as I mediate on my situation and need, remind me again of Your presence and power. Help me to see more clearly what it is I am supposed to do. Give me strength, renew and refresh me. I ask this in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
