The following is from 1 Kings 19, most likely you have heard it.  I am going to back up to 1 Kings 17:1 where Elijah tells King Ahab that there will not be any rain nor dew for the next few years except at his word.  This is because King Ahab, Queen Jezebel and the nation were worshipping other Gods particularly Baal. 

Then in 1 Kings 18 Elijah has King Ahab bring the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah to Mount Caramel.  Elijah has the prophets of Baal set up an alter with a bull on it to sacrifice.  He has them get it all ready, but not set fire to it.  Then he tells them to call on the name of their God to see if he answers by setting the sacrifice on fire.  For half a day they call out, rant, rave and carry on like mad men trying to get Baal to answer and nothing happens. 

Then it's Elijah's turn to see if God will answer by fire.  "31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, 'Your name shall be Israel.' 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs [a] of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood." 34 "Do it again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. 36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD -he is God! The LORD -he is God!"' 1 Kings 18:31-39

Elijah then has all the false prophets seized and killed.  He tells King Ahab, '"Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.' 42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. 43 'Go and look toward the sea,' he told his servant. And he went up and looked. 'There is nothing there,' he said. Seven times Elijah said, 'Go back.' 44 The seventh time the servant reported, 'A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea.' So Elijah said, 'Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.' 45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel." 1 Kings 18:41-46

We see in 1 Kings 19 Jezabel wants Elijah killed for killing all her prophets and he has to run for his life.  Now Elijah has just experienced two very powerful and emotional victories for the Lord by defeating the prophets of Baal and having the Lord bring rain due to his prayer.  Instead of feeling like he was on a mountain, he was physically and emotionally exhausted which made him depressed.  Elijah has to run for his life. Finally he stops, sits down under a tree, and prays for God to take his life.  '"...I have had enough, Lord,' he said. 'Take my life..." 1 Kings 19:4

I have had enough! Have you ever felt that way.  I know I sometimes do.  Elijah was tired, hungry, and weary of not receiving any rewards for his work.  I know as a mother, I often feel that way.  What God did to lead Elijah out of this depression was to have him eat and rest and then sent him back to his mission.  Most of the time making it to the mountain top is a hard climb requiring much energy.  It is imperative to stop from time to time to eat properly and get plenty of rest.  I believe that is why God calls for Sunday to be a day of rest.  We all need rest from our busy lives. Then we will have the strength to focus on the work God still has for us to do.  We may never get rewarded for our work on earth, but God has promised us that we will when we get to heaven. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

So the next time you find that you have tumbled off the mountain into the valley, take a break, eat, rest, and start climbing again!

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

Staying on the narrow path - have a blessed week!  

How many times have you been where you thought God wanted you to be, yet the storms came anyway?  At that time, did you wonder if you had misread what God wanted you to do putting you in the wrong place?  I know I have.  I believe that is because we have the misconception that being in God's will means everything will be easy.  Nothing is further from the truth.  In fact, being in God's will means everything will be more difficult. The story of Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1-16 is an example of this.  In 1 Kings 17:1 Elijah informs King Ahab that there will be no rain because Israel was worshipping idols again.  Then in verse 2 God tells Elijah to go hide because Queen Jezabel is killing all of God's prophets because she is a worshipper of Baal. 

Read the following text: 1Kings 17:1-16

"Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe [a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, 'As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.'

    2 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: 3 "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."

    5 So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 
    7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the LORD came to him: 9 "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food." 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, "Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?" 11 As she was going to get it, he called, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread."

    12 "As surely as the LORD your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die."

    13 Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "

    15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah."

God specifically told Elijah to go hide by the brook and He would provide for him, but the brook dries up.  If I was Elijah, I would have most likely complained about that.  Then God specifically tells Elijah to go to the widow and she will provide for him.  However, when he gets there, she tells him she can't because she doesn't even have food for herself.  If I was Elijah I probably would have thought, "Well God, did you give me the wrong address? How can this person with no food for herself feed me?" Even though Elijah was doing exactly what God told him to do it wasn't easy.  The fact that Elijah is having to hide in the first place is because He obeyed God.
 
As you can see, you can still have troubled times even when you are in God's will.  Obedience to God can not be equated with easiness of task or times.  What you can be rest assured of though is that obedience to God will mean peace in your heart.  So the next time you see a storm brewing on the horizon, don't automatically assume it is because you are out of God's will. Don't fail to notice though, that God did provide for Elijah miraculously which brings more glory to Him.  If the brook hadn't dried up and the widow hadn't ran out of food, then Elijah would not have seen the miracle of the little bit of flour and oil never running out.  When the storms roll in look for God's miracles and praise Him for them.

Staying the narrow path - Have a blessed day!

Dear Lord,

Please show me the hypocrisy in myself.  Show me what I do that I don't want them to do - so I can stop.  Show me how to be the person I want them to be - when they grow up.  For I know, they will do as I do, and not as I say.  As I desire to know You more - I pray they do too. 

Help me to train them instead of yell at them.  Remind me to nurture them instead of blowing them off because I am busy.  May kind words and a gentle tone come out of my mouth - so they too will have kind words and a gentle tone. Let them see in me compassion, gentleness, patience, and kindness as I see those traits in Jesus Christ.

I pray that only truth and righteousness be found in me, so that it will be found in them. Father, remind me daily to choose to give you full reign over my life, so I will be a reflection of you.  I pray Lord they see my love for them as I see Your love for me. 

I will purposely set my feet on your path of Holiness because I know that two pairs of smaller feet are right behind mine.

You cannot teach your children what you do not know, and you cannot go where you do not want your children to go.

Michelle