By: Dale Weckbacher
1 Kings 19:1-3
And Ahab told Jezebel
all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the
sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying,"So let the gods
do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them
by tomorrow about this time." 3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for
his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant
there.
NKJV
After a great demonstration of God’s power over the prophets
of Baal (1 Kings 18:20-40), Elijah runs fearing for his live (1 Kings19:1-3). Elijah is human and even though
God had just worked through him in a mighty way, his human fears have now taken
over. Most of us reading this can relate
and in this election year, there will no doubt be ups and downs or a wild
roller coaster ride ahead. This event in
the life of Elijah however, provides lessons on how we can survive this wild
roller coaster ride.
1)
Taking care of our physical needs (1 Kings19:4-8) – Once Elijah stopped running, he came to rest in the wilderness under
a broom tree. He then asked the Lord to
take his life claiming not to be any better than his fathers were. Instead of granting Elijah his wish, the Lord
sent an angel to tend to his physical needs of food and rest for forty days and
nights. Those of us actively involved in
the electoral process can easily become caught up in the work and neglect our
physical needs of food, exercise, and rest.
Neglecting these physical needs can result in us becoming fearful and
discouraged as Elijah did. I therefore
urge everyone involved in the electoral process to make a conscious effort to
address his or her physical needs.
2)
Listening to direction from the Bible, the Word
of God (1 Kings 19:9-15) – Even if you are not a believer, the Bible contains
wise words that can bring encouragement and wisdom into our lives. Elijah did not have the written Word of God
as we do today so needed to stand at the entrance to the cave at Mount Horeb
and hear the low whisper of the voice of God.
Interestingly, Mount Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai where God
gave Moses the 10 Commandments. Elijah
was most likely aware of his location and therefore understood that the
instructions he received from the quiet whispering voice of God were important
and something he must obey. As well as
addressing our physical needs while on the electoral roller coaster ride this
year, we must also address our spiritual needs by taking time to daily read the
Word of God. However, the Bible is a
large book and can be intimidating to us, especially those of us with busy
lives. I therefore encourage everyone to
find a daily Bible reading plan online, or purchase a good daily devotional
book to assist in the daily study of the Bible.
In addition, I recommend reading a chapter in Proverbs and Psalms each
day. The Book of Psalms is the songbook
of the Bible. I like many of you reading
this like music and find a good song encouraging and inspiring during those
times when I am on the low end of the roller coaster ride of life. Proverbs is a book of wisdom and helps us
refocus during the low times as well.
3)
Associating with others of like values and
vision (1 Kings 19:15-18) – God’s final instruction to Elijah is to journey to
Damascus and meet with others who have not bowed their knees to Baal. In fact, in 1 Kings 19:18, God tells Elijah
there are actually seven thousand who have not bowed to Baal. During this electoral roller coaster ride,
there will be times when we may feel all alone and the only ones interested in
returning the United States back to its Constitutional roots and
greatness. This is why I encourage
everyone actively involved in the electoral process to make an effort to gather
together with others supporting our values and vision for the country. This will help us realize we are not alone
and renew our strength to go on when the going gets tough.
As we look at the issues facing our nation and world, we can
easily become fearful and discouraged like Elijah. However, by following the process God used
with Elijah we can survive the wild roller coaster ride of this election
year. I will be regularly posting
encouraging articles to this blog and tweeting encouraging tweets during this
election on @polavenger during this election year in an effort to let everyone
know they are not alone and that there are many others sharing your values and
vision. I encourage others to also use social
media as a means of helping others survive this wild ride.
I especially want to encourage everyone to vote this
election and not let fear of discouragement make you stay home. So buckle your seat belts and prepare for a
wild ride to victory this election.
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