"Life Lesson"

[cmc]

I Kings 19:1-20:43
SITUATION: In one moment God displayed His power, and Elijah triumphed over the prophets of Baal. In the next, God's prophet ran for his life from Jezebel who sought revenge. He hid in the desert.

OBSERVATION: God cares for his servants both in moments of triumph and defeat. He remains present with those who trust Him.

INSPIRATION: In the barren prairie, the hiker huddles down. The cold northerly sweeps over him, stinging his face and numbing his fingers. The whistle of the wind is deafening. The hiker hugs his knees to his chest, yearning for warmth.

He doesn't move. The sky is orange with dirt. HIs teeth are grainy, his eyes sooty. He thinks of quitting. Going home. Home to the mountains.

"Ahh. The mountains." The spirit that moved him in the mountains seems so far away.
For a moment, his mind wanders back to his homeland. Green country. Mountain trails. Fresh water. Hikers hiking on well marked trails. No surprises, few fears, rich companionship.

One day, while on a brisk hike, he had stopped to look out from the mountains across the neighboring desert. He felt strangely pulled to the sweeping barrenness that lay before him. The next day he paused again. And the next, and the next. "Shouldn't somene try to take life to the desert?" Slowly the flicker in his heart became a flame.

Many agreed that someone should go, but no one volunteered.

Uncharted land, fearful storm, loneliness.

But the hiker, spurred by the enthusiasm of others, determined to go. After careful preparation, he set out, alone. With the cheers of his friends behind him, he descended the grassy highlands and entered the desolate wilderness.

The first few days his steps were springy and his eye was keen. He yearned to do his part to bring life to the desert. Then came the heat. The scorpions. The monotony. The snakes. Slowly, the fire diminished. And now... the storm. The endless roaring of the wind. The relentless, cursed cold.

"I don't know how much more I can take. " Weary and beaten, the hiker considers going back. "At least I got this far." Knees tucked under him, head bowed, almost touching the ground. "Will it ever stop?"

Grimly he laughs at the irony of the situation. "Some hiker. Too tired to go on, yet too ashamed to go home." Deep, deep is the struggle. No longer can he hear the voices of friends. Long gone is the romance of his mission. No longer does he float on the fancifulness of a dream.

"Maybe someone else should do this. I'm too young, too inexperienced." The winds of discouragement and fear whip at his fire, exausting what is left of the flame. But the coals remain, hidden and hot.

The hiker, now almost the storms's victim, looks one last time for the fire. (Is there any greater challenge than of stirring a spirit while in the clutches of defeat?) Yearning and clawing, the temptation to quit is gradually overcome by the urge to go on. Blowing on the coals, the hiker once again hears the call to the desert. Though faint, the call is clear.

With all the strength he can summon, the hiker rises to his feet, bows his head, and takes his first step into the wind.

(From On the Anvil by Max Lucado)

APPLICATION: Are you facing a life challenge? Are you discouraged and wondering why circumstances have suddenly taken a turn for the worst? Where is God? Run to God to help you! Everywhere, anytime, God has resources to help you.

taken from pages 381-382 of: The Inspirational Bible. Life Lessons from the Inspired Word of God. New Century Version. Max Lucado/General Editor.

[cmc]

The idea of sharing this came to me earlier this evening as I was reading in I Kings 20 from The American Standard Bible. One verse in particular stood out to me. The context of the story is about a battle between the Israelites and the Arameans. God promises the battle to Israel because the Arameans had declared: "The Lord is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys." (v28) Uh-oh....could it be more clear that God desires that I recognize Him properly in all phases of my life?

Taken literally or figuratively, this got my attention because I often find myself in a valley experience and although I do know He is there, at times I lose sight of the fact that His presence is as strong during the depths as it is in the heights. I need to remember that.

[toad]

Max has a way of painting a picture. I am sure that Elijah felt the same way as the hiker.

It ain't always how we want it to be, but if we wait upon the Lord we will rise up as eagles...run and not be faint........after all, God is still the God in the country or the city (Deut. 28). Sometimes I want to hear God in the earthquake and the fire, but find God in the stillness, the whisper.

Thanks for sharing this cmc.....got the stress right now of putting on another AA new years eve gig.........pray for me to let God be God.

[cmc]

toad,
Happy New Year!
And happy guitar pickin' too!

cmc