Not This Sunday

PCF will not meet this Sunday we will gather again on August 18th at Glik Park at 9:00am. I am going to continue looking at new testament stories and how they can teach us about our life and struggles today. If you want to know when and where PCF gatherings will be go to www.praisecommunityfellowship.com and sign up for the blog.

Here is a lesson to think about this weekend.

Without regard for his own life, Elijah had confronted wicked King Ahab more than once with the word of the Lord.  He had also boldly challenged and defeated the prophets of the false god Baal, turning the hearts of the people back to the one true God.  With the moral courage he exhibited in these instances, one would think that he would have ignored Ahab’s cruel wife Jezebel or confronted her in righteous indignation when she threatened his life after the prophets of Baal were destroyed.  But instead, he ran away in fear, sat down under a tree and prayed that he might die!  Yes, the prophet Elijah was a mighty man of God; and, yes, he was bold in the things of the Lord; but he had been stretched too far physically and emotionally, and he had reached his limit.  He was saying, “Enough is enough!”

God put this in the Bible to show us how vulnerable we all are to reaching the point where “enough is enough.”  We can do exploits for God, face mountains and walk through valleys; yet in a given moment, our nerves and emotions can get so frayed that we become susceptible to giving up.  It’s in those times of vulnerability that the enemy can come with the strangest suggestions to our minds.

What can we learn from the story of Elijah for such times in our lives?  Well, the first thing Elijah did was to sleep and to eat the food provided by the angel.  Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is, not pray for the Middle East or visit the sick, but take care of our physical body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  We also need to nourish our spirit by spending time in God’s Word daily.

Another thing we see in Elijah’s story is that he ended up in a cave.  This is fitting, for when you come to the end of your rope and are feeling sorry for yourself, you want to be in a place where you are away from everyone and everything.

Thankfully, the Lord didn’t leave Elijah there.  He told him to go out from that dark place and stand on the mountain in his presence.  You see, one of the ways God helps us get through our “enough is enough” experience is by a fresh visitation of his presence to our lives.  We are not talking here about a bunch of mental concepts and doctrinal positions.  No, that’s not what will keep us when we have had enough.  Notice that Elijah wrapped a cloak around himself and just stood in the presence of God, for true worship is sometimes quiet and within.  We don’t even need words; we just need to come and enjoy the presence of the Lord.  It’s true that God is omnipresent, but when these times of refreshing come, you know you’re in the presence of God in a special way.

Do you need a fresh encounter with the Lord today?  If so, just open your heart and say, “God, please come!”  He will meet you right where you are, just as he did with Elijah.

See you soon! Love, pastor kent