2009 – Day 155.June 5 – Tough Spots

Passage of the Day: 1st Kings 17: 5 – 7 … 2 Then the word of the LORD came to him [Elijah], saying, 3 “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. 7 And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

My Journal for Today: Ever been in a tough spot? Of course we have; … and what is our first, and very natural feeling, when we encounter such tough circumstances? Well, it’s usually one of entitlement. We FEEL (and I emphasize that it’s a feeling) that we are entitled to be able to avoid the tough spot, whatever it is. Swindoll gives several good, and pertinent, examples.

And the first is Elijah’s dilemma. When we have ample water, we come to feel that we are entitled to water; and we FEEL that it would be unfair for the One who provided the water to take it away. Perhaps you’ve had other situations in life which challenged your sense of entitlement. Maybe God has given you a wonderful spouse; and you most certainly feel it wouldn’t be fair for God to take this life partner. Perhaps God has blessed you with children. Surely He would take your child before He takes you home? Maybe you’ve got a great job, which provides you with what you’re family needs in the way of finances. Would God do something, as He seems to be doing right now in our world, to cause the world to see that God owns it all and He’s in control of the world’s economy?

So, once we have something, we have a tendency to feel entitled to keep it. Isn’t that the natural FEELING? Of course it is; BUT (and this is one big “BUT”) God, the giver is fully entitled to be God, the taker. And we know that happens; and it may be happening in your life right now. And that’s why we need to have emblazoned on our hearts the truth of Deuteronomy 31: 6 or Joshua 1: 5, which also inspired Hebrews 13: 5. Do you know those parallel verses from God’s truth book? They are God speaking through three separate authors saying the same thing, that “God will never leave you, nor forsake you.”

And apparently before Elijah was to go back and confront King Ahab with God’s prophesies, Elijah needed to learn and internalize that truth. Hence, we see the brook drying up which had been Elijah’s source of refreshment. And now Elijah’s faith is tested, just like ours is tested when something in our life, to which we felt entitled, is taken? It’s the test of 1st Cor. 10: 13 [linked for you], where God states His faithfulness, that He will never allow His children to be placed in circumstances where, with Him, we can bear up under the pressure, whatever it is. BUT, do we believe it?

I hope you have learned that lesson, and you believe in its truth, BEFORE you are tested by having something dear you assume will be there tomorrow is taken from your life. Because when the stream is drying up, or maybe you realize that you’re losing your spouse to cancer, you’re going to need to realize that God is right there with you during the challenges of your loss.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to know and remember that You will always be with me. Amen