Jeremiah 31:3
King James Version (KJV)
3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
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Minister Ev's Favorite Famous Quote of the day:
"Throw off every care, and prepare for a breakthrough. Remember who you are, and run to you rightful place."
Bishop T.D. Jakes
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IntroductionDo you sometimes feel like giving up? Does it seem like the journey is too difficult and that everyone is out to get you? Do you just want to lie down somewhere and hide from your troubles? This is the way Elijah felt. He had done a mighty work for God, but it seemed like he was the only one in the nation of Israel being true to God. Now he was being pursued and hunted, and he just felt like the fight wasn’t worth all the effort. If you’ve ever felt that way, you can learn from the example of Elijah. These verses give us important instruction as to what God would have us do when we feel like quitting.Verse 4But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree; and he asked that he might die, saying, "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers."Elijah was so frustrated that he asked God to let him die. Have you ever felt that way? You feel like you’ve come to the end of your rope and you simply have no strength left. That is the way Elijah felt.Snaith comments, "Elijah stops and shelters, exhausted and disillusioned, under a broom tree. ... It provides no great amount of shade against the desert sun, but it is the best shade there is. Elijah is utterly at the end of his own courage and his own strength, and dejectedly confesses that in spite of all he has done at Carmel he is no better than his fathers."Verses 5-6And he lay down and slept under a broom tree; and behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat."And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank, and lay down again.Elijah was so despondent that all he felt like doing was sleeping. Many people when faced with difficult situations feel more tired and drained than usual. They just want to sleep, hoping that when they wake up all their troubles will somehow have disappeared. God cared for Elijah and sent an angel to minister to him. He cooked bread and provided water and woke him up so that he could be strengthened and nourished. But Elijah didn’t want to face another day and so retreated again into sleep.Into what are you retreating? It may not be sleep. You could be running from your problems by retreating into drugs or alcohol or immorality or some obsession to distract your mind. Elijah didn’t want to face tomorrow.Verses 7-8And the angel of the Lord came again a second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, else the journey will be too great for you."And he arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.Here we have three things the angel tells Elijah to help him get over his desire to give up. I believe God is telling us the same three things today.
First, he says, to arise. We will never overcome our feelings of frustration and despondency unless we are willing to get up and do something about it. The angel told Elijah to arise. God may be telling you to arise – you’ve been hiding for too long. It’s time to get up and face the real world once again.
Second, the angel tells Elijah to eat. Elijah needed physical nourishment. We may not need food, but we may need other forms of nourishment – emotional, mental, spiritual. Whatever we need, God has provided it for us just the same way he provided for Elijah. He told Elijah to be strengthened by the food. God is telling us to be strengthened by spiritual nourishment. This might come from the living message of the Bible, or the love and encouragement of our church family. It could come from our time in prayer and meditation or it could come from being renewed by the Holy Spirit. Whatever your need, God will provide it and is offering it to you by saying, "arise and eat."
And third, the angel tells Elijah that he must begin the journey. He could not simply stay where he was and do nothing. He must begin the journey which would end in a new calling and a new spiritual encounter with God. God is telling us we cannot stay where we are in the shade of discouragement and hopelessness. We must begin the journey out of our depression. We must allow God to strengthen us for the journey, and then by faith step out.
Remember, trying times are no time to quit trying.
Verse 9
And there he came to a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
So Elijah made the journey to Mount Horeb. This was most likely the Sinai mountain where God had given Moses the ten commandments. God had sent Elijah here for a purpose. But when he arrived, instead of climbing up the mountain, he decided to hide in a cave. As Sockman remarks, "Elijah was in the cave mood. He came to a cave and lodged there. Both his mind and heart had gone into hiding. He was still free from Ahab and Jezebel, but he was a prisoner of himself. He had shut the sunlight out of his mind. He had drawn the shutters of his heart. When doors are slammed against us, we are prone to draw into ourselves and lock our hearts against others."
So God came to Elijah and asked the question, "What are you doing here?" Is God asking you that same question? Are you hiding in a cave trying to escape the turmoil and confusion out there? God does not want us to live unto ourselves. He wants us to get out of the cave and start helping others and being a blessing to them. Perhaps it’s been a long time since you’ve thought of ways you could strengthen and be a help to others. Perhaps it’s been a long time since you got out of your cave. God may be asking you, "What are you doing here?"
Verse 10
He said, "I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."
Elijah expresses his frustration. He felt that he was all alone in this battle. Jezebel had killed all the other prophets of God and now she was seeking Elijah’s life. He was really saying, "What’s the use? They won’t listen to me anyway." But God was not finished with Elijah yet. He had some important things for Elijah to do. Later on in this chapter he lets Elijah know that 7000 in Israel have not bowed down to Baal. But for now, he wants Elijah to have a spiritual encounter.
God is not finished with you yet. He has things to teach you just as he had things to teach Elijah. Let us learn from these verses how we should respond to God’s prompting in our lives.
Verse 11a
And he said, "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord."
God called Elijah to the mountain. God had brought him to this mountain for a purpose. Now it was time to go forth and stand on the mountain of God. God has a plan for you also. He may be calling you to come out of your cave and go forth and stand on the mountain before God. Whatever you may be facing might seem like an insurmountable peak, but God has called you to climb it. Elijah was obedient and climbed God’s mountain. What will you do? Will you go forth and stand, or will you go back and retreat into your cave?
Here’s a poem with a wonderful message.
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Posted by: Minister Evelyn Diane Thomas for inspirational purposes only and to inspire and touch someone's heart in this dyeing world we are living in... I'm so glad I made it, and I did NOT throw in the towel...
IntroductionDo you sometimes feel like giving up? Does it seem like the journey is too difficult and that everyone is out to get you? Do you just want to lie down somewhere and hide from your troubles? This is the way Elijah felt. He had done a mighty work for God, but it seemed like he was the only one in the nation of Israel being true to God. Now he was being pursued and hunted, and he just felt like the fight wasn’t worth all the effort. If you’ve ever felt that way, you can learn from the example of Elijah. These verses give us important instruction as to what God would have us do when we feel like quitting.Verse 4But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree; and he asked that he might die, saying, "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers."Elijah was so frustrated that he asked God to let him die. Have you ever felt that way? You feel like you’ve come to the end of your rope and you simply have no strength left. That is the way Elijah felt.Snaith comments, "Elijah stops and shelters, exhausted and disillusioned, under a broom tree. ... It provides no great amount of shade against the desert sun, but it is the best shade there is. Elijah is utterly at the end of his own courage and his own strength, and dejectedly confesses that in spite of all he has done at Carmel he is no better than his fathers."Verses 5-6And he lay down and slept under a broom tree; and behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat."And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank, and lay down again.Elijah was so despondent that all he felt like doing was sleeping. Many people when faced with difficult situations feel more tired and drained than usual. They just want to sleep, hoping that when they wake up all their troubles will somehow have disappeared. God cared for Elijah and sent an angel to minister to him. He cooked bread and provided water and woke him up so that he could be strengthened and nourished. But Elijah didn’t want to face another day and so retreated again into sleep.Into what are you retreating? It may not be sleep. You could be running from your problems by retreating into drugs or alcohol or immorality or some obsession to distract your mind. Elijah didn’t want to face tomorrow.Verses 7-8And the angel of the Lord came again a second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, else the journey will be too great for you."And he arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.Here we have three things the angel tells Elijah to help him get over his desire to give up. I believe God is telling us the same three things today.
First, he says, to arise. We will never overcome our feelings of frustration and despondency unless we are willing to get up and do something about it. The angel told Elijah to arise. God may be telling you to arise – you’ve been hiding for too long. It’s time to get up and face the real world once again.
Second, the angel tells Elijah to eat. Elijah needed physical nourishment. We may not need food, but we may need other forms of nourishment – emotional, mental, spiritual. Whatever we need, God has provided it for us just the same way he provided for Elijah. He told Elijah to be strengthened by the food. God is telling us to be strengthened by spiritual nourishment. This might come from the living message of the Bible, or the love and encouragement of our church family. It could come from our time in prayer and meditation or it could come from being renewed by the Holy Spirit. Whatever your need, God will provide it and is offering it to you by saying, "arise and eat."
And third, the angel tells Elijah that he must begin the journey. He could not simply stay where he was and do nothing. He must begin the journey which would end in a new calling and a new spiritual encounter with God. God is telling us we cannot stay where we are in the shade of discouragement and hopelessness. We must begin the journey out of our depression. We must allow God to strengthen us for the journey, and then by faith step out.
Remember, trying times are no time to quit trying.
Verse 9
And there he came to a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
So Elijah made the journey to Mount Horeb. This was most likely the Sinai mountain where God had given Moses the ten commandments. God had sent Elijah here for a purpose. But when he arrived, instead of climbing up the mountain, he decided to hide in a cave. As Sockman remarks, "Elijah was in the cave mood. He came to a cave and lodged there. Both his mind and heart had gone into hiding. He was still free from Ahab and Jezebel, but he was a prisoner of himself. He had shut the sunlight out of his mind. He had drawn the shutters of his heart. When doors are slammed against us, we are prone to draw into ourselves and lock our hearts against others."
So God came to Elijah and asked the question, "What are you doing here?" Is God asking you that same question? Are you hiding in a cave trying to escape the turmoil and confusion out there? God does not want us to live unto ourselves. He wants us to get out of the cave and start helping others and being a blessing to them. Perhaps it’s been a long time since you’ve thought of ways you could strengthen and be a help to others. Perhaps it’s been a long time since you got out of your cave. God may be asking you, "What are you doing here?"
Verse 10
He said, "I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."
Elijah expresses his frustration. He felt that he was all alone in this battle. Jezebel had killed all the other prophets of God and now she was seeking Elijah’s life. He was really saying, "What’s the use? They won’t listen to me anyway." But God was not finished with Elijah yet. He had some important things for Elijah to do. Later on in this chapter he lets Elijah know that 7000 in Israel have not bowed down to Baal. But for now, he wants Elijah to have a spiritual encounter.
God is not finished with you yet. He has things to teach you just as he had things to teach Elijah. Let us learn from these verses how we should respond to God’s prompting in our lives.
Verse 11a
And he said, "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord."
God called Elijah to the mountain. God had brought him to this mountain for a purpose. Now it was time to go forth and stand on the mountain of God. God has a plan for you also. He may be calling you to come out of your cave and go forth and stand on the mountain before God. Whatever you may be facing might seem like an insurmountable peak, but God has called you to climb it. Elijah was obedient and climbed God’s mountain. What will you do? Will you go forth and stand, or will you go back and retreat into your cave?
Here’s a poem with a wonderful message.
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Posted by: Minister Evelyn Diane Thomas for inspirational purposes only and to inspire and touch someone's heart in this dyeing world we are living in... I'm so glad I made it, and I did NOT throw in the towel...
