Seek God Early
Seek God Early

DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL FOR TUESDAY 21st MAY 2019 – LESSON THROUGH DESPAIR.

DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL BY PASTOR W.F.KUMUYI, TUESDAY 21TH MAY 2019.

TOPIC: LESSON THROUGH DESPAIR
BIBLE TEXT: 1 Kings 19:9-21
9. And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
10. And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
11. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake 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. And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
13. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
14. And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
15. And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria;
16. And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
17. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay; and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.
18. Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
19. So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth; and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.
20. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again; for what have I done to thee?
21. And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.
KEY VERSE:
“And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?” – (1 Kings 19:9).
MESSAGE:
It is called “depression” – a feeling of hopelessness, despondency and apathy; a psychological state that hardly discriminates. It happens to cowards as well as to the brave. Indeed, history is replete with accounts of very courageous men who, in their privacy, succumbed to depression and discouragement.
It is quite instructive that Elijah, the great prophet of God, also had this experience. In the text, we find him seek lodging in a cave out of despondency. In this case, he was “very jealous for the LORD God of hosts”, whose covenant the children of Israel had forsaken. He felt threatened and lonely in the path of righteousness and hid himself. But the Lord visited him right there. That encounter holds so much lessons for us.
That God asked Elijah, ‘What doest thou here?’ indicates that the self-appointed retreat was unnecessary. It however shows that Elijah was really a man subject to like passions as we are not super human. He learnt from his ministry, how God can use the weak vessels like us to achiever supernatural acts. But God chose to deal with Elijah on the mountain, not in the cave. God’s speech to Elijah was preceded by a strong wind, earthquake and fire. These elements were awe-inspiring, but the Lord was in none of them. Instead, He spoke to Elijah in a still small voice. We must be careful to heed God’s voice.
God did not only direct Elijah as to how to tackle the apostasy of Israel, but also assured him that contrary to his assumption, there were seven thousand people in Israel who had not bowed down to Baal. Never feel that you are the only righteous one around. God certainly has other undefiled people. Also observe in the appointment of Elisha how prompt and consecrated we ought to be in response to God’s demand on us.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: When discouragement sets in, listen well for God’s still small voice.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 1-2
DAILY MANNA devotional was shared via www.the devotionals.com.ng

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