The Everyday Prayer

Re: Verse reading–1 Kings 19:1-18 (day four)

It was a legitimate question…”what are you doing here, Elijah?”  Elijah had lost his orientation.  It was true…he had done some mighty things for the Lord.  He had been very zealous; he had torn down the altars to Baal; he had killed the prophets of Baal.  If he had, in fact, been the ‘only one left’, then why was he hiding in a cave?  If he was the only voice for the Lord, he needed to be using that voice to proclaim the truth of the Lord.  God had demonstrated His power by sending down fire from heaven…and where did Elijah think he got the power to kill 400 false prophets and tear down altars and outrun chariots?  He had lost his vision.

Do we ever do that?  Does God do mighty things in our life and we see His hand at work?  Then, we are confronted by one of our fears and we completely forget that God is greater than our circumstances.  Elijah had to re-orient himself to God…what will it take in our lives for us to see again the glory of the Lord?

Re: Verse reading–1 Kings 19:1-18 (day three)

“Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

Taking Elijah’s words at face value (instead of as a melodramatic attempt to gain God’s sympathy), one can hear a mind that has concluded that effectiveness has run its course.  Elijah perhaps envisioned a national revival, a shift in loyalties––even at the very top––from idolatry to revelation.  He had staked so much on the outcome of this showdown with the prophets of Baal that its failure to break a generations-long pattern of spiritual decay left him aimless and empty.  He could not conceive of any further work; his prophetic imagination was spent.  When what is longed for doesn’t come to pass, does that nullify your future in this life?  Are you now an also-ran?  Has God decided to make second-fiddle music with your life?

Re: Verse reading–1 Kings 19:1-18 (day two)

Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” vs. 2

This is not an unfamiliar narrative. Great triumph or deliverance followed by depression or sin, it happens. Moses knew this very well. How often did God reveal himself in a tremendous way only to have the people forget. Elijah has just experienced an incredible display of God’s “realness”, and know he runs, hides, wallows in his despair. Surely there must be a way to avoid the roller coaster life of faith.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Eph. 6:11 (actually refer to 10-18 for the full passage). The reality is that scripture never instructs us to take the armor off. Once we encounter fierce opposition we should not let down our guard. Remain steadfast, on guard. Otherwise the real battle may come after the one you were ready for.

 

Re: Verse reading–1 Kings 19:1-18 (day one)

“So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, ‘May the gods deal with me. . . if by this time tomorrow I do not (take your life).  Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.”–v 2-3

I know people who are trustworthy.  I also know people who are trustweary.  They serve well and long.  Stand like heroes against doubt and disappointment, opposition and criticism.  Then, one day, they get in the “red zone”.  Overload.  They get weary, and then they get afraid.

Sometimes they run.  Sometimes they get negative.  Sometimes they make foolish decisions.  Elijah is in the first category.  Jezebel’s threat sends him “over the edge”.

Rest is a spiritual necessity.  Sabbath is a command not a suggestion. Those who don’t get it in normal rhythms will experience God’s intervention.  “He MAKES ME lie down”.

Rest from all other things!  Guard your margins.  Save your energy for the most important thing.  Trust.

Re: Verse reading–Numbers 13:26-33; 14:1-9 (day seven) 

“And they gave out to the sons of Israel a BAD report”–13:32.

Was it BAD because it was dishonest?  No.  The majority that day were being completely honest.

Was it BAD because it was malicious? Motivated by self-interest?  No.  The ten members of that study committee thought that they were speaking wisdom.

It was BAD because it was not true, not an accurate reflection of God’s will.   They had not heard from God.  Listened to fear, instead.  It was BAD because “whatever is not of faith is sin”–Romans 14:23.

When God says, “go”, fear hesitates but faith obeys.  When God says, “wait”, pride pushes forward but faith kneels in humble patience.

Bad or good is ultimately determined by whether God is in it.  Have you waited on Him?  If so,  He is calling you to obey the “GOOD and acceptable and perfect will of God?”–Romans 12:2.  Anything else is going to be BAD.

Re: Verse reading–Numbers 13:26-33; 14:1-9 (day six)

In the Princess Bride, Wesley finds himself in the Pit of Despair where he is tortured and ultimately dies…at least mostly. His body is rescued by soon-to-be accomplices. They then take his body to a magician who works a miracle on the mostly-dead Wesley. Immediately he becomes conscious, but must slowly regain his strength over the course of the movie in order to rescue the damsel in distress. Great movie!

We too can find ourselves in our own pits of despair, with no apparent way out. It could be related to health, finances, or relationships; regardless of the source, we can feel helpless and hopeless. That is how the spies felt in Numbers 13 and 14 (except Joshua and Caleb) as they faced the obstacles ahead of them in claiming the Promised Land. They couldn’t see how they could overcome it; they were helpless and hopeless, and it infected everybody. With the obstacles so great, they had forgotten all that God had already done as well as his promises. We can fall into this sin just as quickly, can’t we?

The apostle Paul wrote from prison in Philippians 4:12-13, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Two things to notice here, one Paul learned, it wasn’t immediate, he had to grow in the Gospel; two, God did not necessarily whisk him away out of every despair inducing circumstance. It is clear, like Joshua and Caleb, Paul learned to cling to the promises of God based on what Jesus had done in the Gospel. Even though we may find ourselves in the pit, we do not despair because Jesus has already overcome the world; his promises hold true for all eternity!

That is far better than a giant miracle pill!

Re: Verse reading–Numbers 13:26-33; 14:1-9 (day five)  “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there.”

Since Exodus 3, God has been telling the Israelites that the promised land would be “flowing with milk and honey” and would also be “occupied by Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Jebusites,” (and others)

So… Why the doubting? Why the panic? Why the disobedience?

Perhaps one of the answers is found in the response of the spies. When Joshua and Caleb saw the others they remembered God’s promises. When the other 10 saw those inhabitants of the Promised Land they saw themselves in relation to the giants and forgot all about God’s promises and power. They forgot who they were in relation to their Heavenly Father, but rather focused on themselves in relation to the giants. They had a very skewed perspective of their identity!! Part of our faith is believing and trusting God’s Word and Promises about His children and His followers. Look closely at 1 Peter 2:9-11

Re: Verse reading–Numbers 13:26-33; 14:1-9 (day four)

Verse 14:4 – “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”  It was a bad report from a majority of the spies.  They were afraid…the cities were big, the walls were heavily fortified, and the people were giants.  Their eyes were on the wrong things.  Caleb and Joshua had their eyes upon the Lord.  They recognized that the Lord had removed His protection from these people.  Man-made fortifications were of no consequence, apart from the hand of God.  It was God who had sent the Israelites to the Promise Land and covenanted with them to give them the land.  Now, the Israelites wanted to be in control…notice in verse 4 they said “let us…”.  They wanted to determine their own destiny…not to follow the Lord’s direction.

Caleb and Joshua also recognized that a prerequisite for God’s provision was that He was pleased with them (v. 8).  “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.”  (Hebrews 11:6)  Caleb and Joshua knew it…we know it…what choice do we make?

Re: Verse reading–Numbers 13:26-33; 14:1-9 (day three)

“Our wives and children will be taken as plunder.”  You trust fear.  You know fear.  Fear’s been around your whole life, working to keep you safe, affirming what you’ve suspected all along.  It keeps you away from risk, away from putting your mind to the hard task of solving problems, away from people calling for your help with troubling questions, away from the misery of those who need a word of hope or encouragement or warning.  Courage, well, that’s a different story.  Courage is a newcomer, spouting off new ways of thinking about the future.  By thinking in those new ways, consider all you have to lose, fear tells you.  Why do you think fear never tells you what you have to gain by staying afraid?

Re: Verse reading–Numbers 13:26-33; 14:1-9 (day two)

“Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 4:19b

In what would foreshadow Joshua’s first sermon to the people of Israel forty years later, Joshua pleads for his comrades to be strong and courageous.  Joshua 1:6. The Israelites could not see past their own understanding of the world. They had left the oppression of the Egyptians and followed the Lord’s command through the Red Sea, but they could not fathom how the God who did all that could possibly defeat this new foe. Do you do that? Do you limit our Sovereign God’s ability to move any mountain, part any water, or vanquish any foe because of your small understanding of his power? When will we stop measuring God’s power by our earthly yardstick? If God has brought you to it, he’ll bring you through it.