3/14/2011 5:33:39 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus:
The
Creator’s message of power
Bible Reading
& Meditation Reference: 1Kings 19:9-14
Message of the verses: “9 ¶
Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of
the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here,
Elijah?" 10 He said, "I have
been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have
forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the
sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."
11 So He said, "Go forth and stand
on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD was passing by! And
a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the
rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an
earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was
not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in
his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a
voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14 Then he said, "I have been very
zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken
Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword.
And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.’”
The
commentary from Dr. Wiersbe on this portion of Scripture is one of the longest
portions that I have ever read from him, and it is full of meaning, things that
I would never have thought of. For
instance he points out that it took Elijah forty days to cover the distance
from Beersheba to Sinai, and then points out this could represent one day for
every year that Israel marched around in the wilderness. Moses was up on the mountain receiving the
law for forty days, and Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for forty
days. Moses was upon the very same
mountain that Elijah was on and there are similarities in their
experiences. Moses went back on the
mountain for a second forty days because of a golden calf, while Elijah was
there because of Baal worship in the land of Israel. The Lord passed by Elijah and spoke to him as
He did with Moses. The Lord used signs
and wonders to demonstrate His might power to Elijah while on the mountain, some
of the same things He will do just before the return of Jesus Christ. When I think of Moses and Elijah I cannot
help but think of what many scholars believe that they will be the two
wittiness’s of Revelations eleven (I think it’s chapter eleven).
I
want to focus in on the answer that Elijah gave to the Lord two times, in that
it was a selfish, self-centered, answer from a man who was deeply
depressed. God will deal with this
answer latter on in the chapter.
A
quote from Dr. Wiersbe: “God was saying
to Elijah, ‘You called fire from heaven, you had the prophets of Baal slain,
and you prayed down a terrific rainstorm, but now you feel like a failure. But you must realize that I don’t usually
work in a manner that’s loud, impressive, and dramatic. My still small voice brings the Word to the
listening ear and heart. Yes, there’s a
time and place for the wind, the earthquake and the fire, but most of the time,
I speak to people in tones of gentle love and quiet persuasion.’ The Lord wasn’t condemning the courageous
ministry of His servant; He was only reminding Elijah that He uses many
different tools to accomplish His work.
God’s Word comes down like the gentle shower that refreshes, cleanses
and produces life (Deut. 32:2, Isa. 55:10).
Oswald
Sanders state that “the whispers from Calvary are infinitely more potent than
the thunder of Sinai in bring men to repentance.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I can take away from this section that I need
to stick to the plan that the Lord has for me and not worry about dramatic
events to come into my life that often.
Trust the Lord to speak to me in a still small voice mostly through His Word and the
teaching and preaching of His Word, and cling tightly to the Lord in times of
difficultly.
My Steps of
Faith for Today:
1.
Continue to trust the Lord to direct my path each
and every day.
2.
Trust the Lord with the plans He has for my life
even though many times I don’t understand them.
3.
Be faithful in stay in His Word and in prayer.
4.
Continue to learn contentment.
3/14/2011 6:00:08 AM
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