I’m sure no one else has experienced this, but please indulge me for a few moments.  Like you, we all go through places where we aren’t really sure how or even why we arrived at this location.  Sometimes you just open your eyes and you say, “How in the name of common sense did I make it here?”

I’ve been going through a place lately that I can’t explain or even backtrack it to any specific event or person.  However, I find my self passion-less.  A while back my friend David, or Dave dude, shared with me something about us guys.  He said that he has found that men don’t experience depression quite like women.  He explained to me that many men (and I’m not saying we all deal with it the same way) experience it more in the form of a lack of passion.  The things that once stirred us no longer give us the same feeling.  The things we use to love to do don’t hold the same appeal.  What used to make us jump now might solicit a slight raising of the eyebrow.

Tonight, I was literally awakened and instructed by my Father to read the story of the Prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 17-19.  I’m not breaking this down and holding a exegetical study on the scriptures but simply sharing the heart of a Father to His son.  Join me and allow the breath of the Creator to speak to you.  Maybe you’re in the same place.  Maybe you need to hear this now because you will soon be here.  And possibly you’ve found this because someone close to you need to hear comfort and not condemnation.

As I was reading in 1 Kings 17, something very plain caught my attention.  First, the prophet announced that there would be no rain, except at his word.  Then, he was instructed by the Lord to go to a ravine because there he would be given water from the brook and feed by the ravens.  Any person with common sense knows that if there is no rain then the brooks will dry up.  And sure enough, Elijah found himself thirsty because there was no water.  As I was reading this, a statement jumped within me.  “The miracle you came in with may also have to be the source of your faith.”  Elijah came in to the situation high on the power of his words to shut up the heavens so it wouldn’t rain.  That very same miracle caused him to be sitting by a dried up brook waiting on the next move of God.

What if that next move doesn’t take place right away?  We Christians are spoiled most of the time.  Yes, you probably are too.  If God doesn’t act on our timetable, we get moody, irritable, cranky, faithless, unhappy, bitter, angry…you get the picture.  Does God really have an obligation to move when we say so?  Yes, sometimes, but believe me, God will do what He needs to do, when He needs to do it, and through whom He chooses to.  In Elijah’s case, when the brook dried up, God instructed him to go to a certain town because, and I love this, God says, “I have directed a widow there to provide you with food.”  There, in that town, God caused many miracles to happen…from the caring for a widow woman to bring a widow’s son back to life.  I’m sure the prophet was riding on cloud nine now….but wait, there’s more…..

I’m not exactly sure how long Elijah stayed in the town, but chapter 18 says that in the third year…yes, three years without rain…Elijah was told to go meet Ahab, the figure-head king, and it would rain.  This chapter shows a mighty victory by the hand of the Lord over the gods of Baal and the priests.  Elijah once again was the proclaimer of miracles by the God of Israel.  The so-called gods of Baal were ridiculed and the servants of those gods were put to death.  Not only that, but the rain ended and once again the water fell. Yet another miracle.

Chapter 19 shows something intriguing.  After all of these miracles, Elijah gets word that the queen, Jezebel herself was so mad that she swore by the gods who were just defeated that she was going to kill the prophet.  And for those who know this story, what totally doesn’t make sense, Elijah runs for his life.  He gets scared.  Twice the voice of the Lord comes to him and asks him, “What are you doing here?”  Once He tells him that the presence of the Lord is about to pass by, but He wasn’t in the rain, the earthquake or the fire.  Instead, the presence of the Lord was in the gentle whisper.

My friend, this leads to what God has spoken to me.  First, notice that God didn’t bash or condemn Elijah for his state of fear, worry, depression, or faithlessness.  Instead, the gentle voice of the Lord simply lets him know that God was near and that He has everything under control.  God isn’t upset with you.  In fact, He loves you very much.

Second, while miracles are great, that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone is happy.  I have had many instances after ministering and seeing God do great and mighty things for different people and even myself, that I walk away feeling empty and dry.  Don’t get so caught up in the miracle that you think that God resides there.  Remember, in the end, many will come to Him saying, “Look how many miracles we’ve done in Your name.”  And He will reply, get away from me you workers of iniquity.  I never knew you.  Miracles are just a manifestation of His presence, not His actual presence.

And thirdly, when the time is right, God will instruct you to leave that valley.  You must first know His voice and you must be willing to obey.  Don’t rush the journey.  Allow God to speak to you and listen closely for His voice.  Don’t stay longer than He tells you but don’t try to leave before your time is ready.

Until next time, may the Grace and Peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all…..