6-26-20 Today in the Word

HOW GOD WORKS THROUGH FAILURE
Friday, June 26, 2020 | 1 Kings 19:1–18
 
WHAT ELIJAH NEEDED

Are you having trouble sleeping? A “sound” pillow advertises itself as the solution. It looks like a regular pillow but includes two speakers inside. The pillow is comfortable (you don’t feel the speakers) and you can listen to music as you drift off to sleep. Elijah could have used one of these. He was tired and burned out. But why? Shouldn’t he have felt successful? He’d just won the confrontation on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). Fire from the Lord had fallen from heaven. The pagan priests had been killed. The people of Israel had returned to the Lord.
Yet sometimes after a high comes a crash. For whatever reasons—there’s more to it than Jezebel’s threat (v. 2)—Elijah felt down and depressed. The physical causes were straightforward (vv. 4–8). He needed rest and food. He slept soundly under a broom bush, and God twice sent an angel to him with bread and water.
Spiritually, Elijah was experiencing a crisis of faith (vv. 9–14). The faithless Israelites had rejected the covenant. His prophetic ministry seemed useless. Given what had happened on Mount Carmel, these feelings weren’t logical, but that’s often the way it is during depression. Elijah went to Mount Horeb (Sinai), looking to God for answers. And the Lord did reveal Himself—not through the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but in a “gentle whisper” (v. 12).
Elijah’s despair also had a social dimension (vv. 15–18). He felt alone, vulnerable, and persecuted. God told him there were still 7,000 true worshipers. He also gave him a young prophet, Elisha, to mentor. And He gave him work to do (kings to anoint). God was saying, in essence: Just be faithful. I’m taking care of everything.
>> Which of these three areas—physical, spiritual, or social—is currently your area of greatest need? Once you decide, ask God to encourage you by meeting your needs and revealing Himself to you in a special way.
PRAY WITH US
In today’s Bible passage, God revealed Himself to Elijah in a “gentle whisper.” During your prayer time, ask: How does God speak to me? Do I recognize His gentle whisper? Do I follow His leading?
This month's devotional is written by Dr. Brad Baurain who has worked as a writer and editor for Today in the Word since 1993. Currently, he serves as associate professor and TESOL program head at Moody Bible Institute. Brad has the unique privilege of holding a degree from four different universities (including Moody). He has also taught in China, Vietnam, the United States, and Canada. Brad and his wife, Julia, have four children and reside in Munster, Indiana.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-18-23 Rage Against Jesus And His People — The Ominous Trend Of 2022

Rage Against Jesus And His People — The Ominous Trend Of 2022 – By Hal Lindsey - https://harbingersdaily.com/rage-against-jesus-and-his-people-the-ominous-trend-of-2022/ By the end of 2022, eight billion people lived on the earth. They were besieged by a series of plagues, droughts, false prophets, war, the threat of greater war, hatred, rage, theft, and violence. The eight billion were fragmented in a variety of ways — according to their nations, level of income, race, gender, various understandings of gender and human sexuality, along with religion or the lack thereof. Change became overwhelming to most of the eight billion. For those over 40, it was almost unfathomable that by the end of 2022, not even half the students at Cambridge University identified as heterosexual. In 2022, deception ruled the day. Trust in government, educational institutions, and the news media had been largely obliterated. Trust in health officials and doctors had become severely damaged. In suc
Read more

9-17-23 It's Coming

It Is Coming - By Daymond Duck - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/12/24/it-is-coming-by-daymond-duck/ On Dec. 17, 2022, it was reported that Rep. David Cicilline, a Democrat from Rhode Island, has introduced legislation to permanently bar former Pres. Trump from running for president again, and 40 Democrats have signed on. Cicilline is accusing Trump of orchestrating an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. At the time of this writing, it is debatable as to whether Cicilline’s legislation will get voted on before the new Congress takes office in 2023, but some conservatives have said from the beginning that the main purpose of the Jan. 6 fake show-trial was to stop Trump from being elected again. Some, including this writer, have said there is no telling what the U.S. shadow government will do to prevent making America great again (MAGA) because they want to surrender the sovereignty of the U.S. to the New World Order (coming world government). It was easy to see this comi
Read more

9-16-23 Little-Known Prophecies of Christmas, Pt 3: Genesis 17:19

Little-Known Prophecies of Christmas, Pt 3: Genesis 17:19 :: By Paul J. Scharf Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles The Messiah was a descendant of Abraham. More than that, we considered last time how He was, in fact, promised within the covenant that God made with Abram (Gen. 12:1-3). According to the Apostle Paul in Gal. 3:16 and 19, He is the ultimate recipient of that covenant! Our Savior Jesus Christ is finally the One through whom “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). Paul also quoted and discussed that portion of the covenant in Gal. 3:8-9. We ended last time with the realization that the promised Messiah would be the final Davidic king over Israel. As declared then, however, there are several intermediate steps, with accompanying prophecies, which are given between the times of Abraham and David and speak about His coming and the offices He would hold as the greatest prophet, priest, and king. And there are also more ance
Read more