7/29/2020 Wednesday Devotional
Elijah’s prayer – Case of the Blues
(1 Kings 19:9-18)
So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 1 Kings 19:2
In other words Jezebel’s message was telling Elijah, “Within twenty-four hours, either I’m going to be dead or you’re going to be dead”! (You are Toast!) Imagine being in a situation like that? That’s classic intimidation.
Background:
- “One of the greatest surges of Baal worship came during the reign of Ahab. Prompted by his wife Jezebel, Ahab initiated a cultural reform movement, the focal point of which was the Tyrian Baal, the god of Jezebel’s homeland (1 Kgs 16:31).
- Elijah, as you recall, has just won a great victory over ba’al before all of Israel. (1 Kings 18)
- He is a hero, man of humility, trusted God, prayed when he needed God.
- He’s a man, he’s human just like us.
Lessons to learn:
- As a human he suffered discouragement, despondency, and depression.
- When God paints the portraits of His Men and Women, He doesn’t ignore their weakness or hide their frailties.
- Elijah was not thinking realistically and clearly in a time of threat. (Threat was human.)
- Our most vulnerable moments come after a great victory, those are the times when we need to set up a defense against the enemy.
- Self –pity will lie to you. It will exaggerate. It will drive you to tears, it cultivates a “victim mentality”…..”For I am not better than my fathers” ( 1Kings 19:3-4)
- Let’s allow God to set our standard, He is always faithful to uphold us. (1 Kin 19:5-8).
- It is God who gives a time of rest and refreshment. (Vs 9-13)
- God drew Elijah out of the cave of self –pity, depression, and discouragement.
- God showed Elijah that he still had a job to do, (Vs 15-18). So do we (Mt 28:18-20)
Discussion idea:
- Who has God become in the prophet’s life?
- What was God trying to accomplish in Elijah’s life by means of these awesome and frightening object lessons? (Ps 148)
- When you are faced with discouragement, what kind of remedies do you have in place?
- THE CROSS AND RESURRECTION SHOW YOU THAT THE LORD’S ARM IS NOT SHORTENED THAT IT CANNOT SAVE …