Bible Study: I Am Here 04.29.10

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Today is Thursday April 29, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of I Kings, chapters 19-20. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-april-29

Title: Bible Study: I Am Here
It can be discouraging to be a Christian sometimes, it seems the more you try to do for God, the harder things get. Well, the truth is, they do at times. Satan is so mad at you for living and accomplishing things for God that he wants to try and get you to fall. If he can get a strong Christian to fall he has done his job, he wants to destroy every Christian and make them doubt not only their faith in God, but God Himself. During times like this we need more than ever to seek the comfort that can only come from God. Many Christian's make the mistake of thinking that God no longer communicates or produces the miracles we read about in the Bible. That is just another ploy of Satan to try to get you to doubt God. Let me tell you something, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He can do for us what He did for them. In fact, we have an advantage that the Israelites did not, we have the Holy Spirit within us 24/7, that is, all who have accepted Christ enjoy the presence of God with them at all times. All we have to do to reach God is to call on Him and just when we think we can not take it anymore, His still small voice whispers, “I Am Here.”

When God sent fire from heaven to burn up the wet sacrifice on the altar that Elijah had built on Mount Carmel, and when Elijah had the four-hundred and fifty false prophets executed, he expected the miracle to turn the nation from Baal worship and bring about a national repentance to return to the one and only True God. However, Elijah got the opposite of what he expected, when Jezebel found out what happened she vowed to have him killed. “And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” - I Kings 19:1-4. Fearing for his life Elijah, disappointed and discouraged, fled south beyond the border of his country into the desert. Elijah thought that he failed to accomplish what God had called him to do, therefore he felt himself so unworthy that he wanted God to end his life. We can all get so discouraged in life that we just feel we would be no good to anyone, but the truth is God has a purpose for every person, He made each one of us for a reason and nothing we do for Him goes unnoticed.

God did not answer his prayer to end his life, He did not rebuke, punish, or condemn him for his disappointment, but instead gave him strength, rest, and food to continue forward in his mission. “And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.... And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. 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? 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. 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: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 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? ” - I Kings 19:5,8-13. Elijah traveled for forty days and forty nights across the dry desert of Sinai with an angel bringing him food and water. Then suddenly, the most demonstrative symbols of Gods mighty power, storm, earthquake, and fire, pass before him, but it was not in any of these great wonders that God appeared to him, but it was in a still small voice, where he told him to keep going and finish the job. It was Elijah's desire to see Israel be transformed back into one Kingdom for God, although that did not happen he did see seven thousand faithfully return to God.

God will use anyone to get his point across, even wicked people, He used a man named Benhadad to prove that God does not just exist in certain cities or countries, He exists and is in control of every thing. “And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they....And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD. And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day. But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.” - I Kings 20:23,28-30. These foolish men thought that their gods, which were many and had their own particular charge and jurisdiction, were no different than the Syrian (Israel) gods. They failed to realize that there is only One God and He is everywhere. God was trying to show Ahab and the Northern Kingdom that He was in control by allowing them to defeat Benhadad. Sadly, he did not hearken to God and continued in his wicked ways.

All Christians have lonely hours, days of disappointment, and moments of hopelessness, times when their highest feelings have been misunderstood and purest motives met with doubt and ridicule. During times like these, we are to look beyond the circumstances we are facing and look to God. He will work every trial and every circumstance to strengthen us and do the work that He calls us to do, even if we have turned our backs on Him. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose....Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 8:28, 37-39. God permits days when heavy burdens press hard upon our hearts and it seems that we are failures, but it is during these times that we can declare that nothing will separate us from the love of God and His love is shown in our trust and Salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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