12/23/2022
In our service to the Lord do we ever find ourselves reaching the physical limit of our strength? Do we find ourselves exhausted and our desire to continue on waning? Well, this is not uncommon because there is a natural limit to what our earthly body, including our minds, can sustain before they must rest. When we approach this limit it is no surprise to God, and although He tells us to eat, drink, and rest, our minds often push us on towards our breaking point. Feeling guilty when we rest, or thinking that we have somehow been given superhuman ability by God, pushes us on and we ignore Him. Listen to the angels He sends, and hear Him in our dreams and visions. You are not unlike Elijah, and need to have your strength replenished… the journey is not over yet.
“And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again.”
1 Kings 19:5-6 ESV
Many faithful Christians who have received God’s calling and been serving Him mightily find themselves exhausted, and like Elijah they become depressed, unable to do what our Father asks with the same enthusiasm that they once did, while others reach a breaking point that, in their desperation, can lead to a crisis of faith. Elijah reached his breaking point and finally collapsed under a broom (juniper) tree asking to die. Have you reached your limit, or maybe you know someone who has… a pastor, deacon, teacher, saint, or others?
“But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.””
1 Kings 19:4 ESV
Listen to the voice of the Lord, the Holy Spirit as he leads you, messengers and angels as they appear in your life. Our God calls us to do great and amazing things but the journey is long, and He wants you to be your at your best during it. Sometimes he sends us an angel to strengthen us like Ge did for Jesus in Gethsemane when His task was coming to an end, but more times than not He tells us to eat, drink, and rest, like He did Elijah so that we can continue on.
“And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.””
1 Kings 19:7 ESV
Pay attention to your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual condition. Listen to our Father’s guidance, and rest when He tells us to do so. I am one of the worst at this so I am speaking with the voice of experience. I went for many many years teaching, as peaking to groups, and waking up long before dawn to answer the calling I had received to write this devotional each morning, but finally I reached my physical limits, and although I kept hearing the word “REST” my desire to serve Jesus, and my God would override what I was being told, and would not let me do so. I was placing myself and my own fear of failing in my calling over God’s will, and I found myself under a broom tree like Elijah… and rest came upon me. Remember this from our previous verse?
“And he lay down and slept under a broom tree…”
1 Kings 19:5 ESV
Mai we must rest when we are exhausted and the Lord provides a broom tree for us, and we must replenish our strength when He places food and drink before us. If we are as obedient in this as we are our calling then incredible things happen in our spiritual lives. Do you remember what happened once Elijah regained His strength? Well let me refresh your memory; he arose journeyed another 40 days, came to a cave and had a conversation with God.
“And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?””
1 Kings 19:8-9 ESV
Then, he saw the power of God, and heard the Lord’s low whisper… His small still voice… His gentle whisper. Had Elijah not rested and replenished his strength then he would not have journeyed on, and we would not have this wonderful scripture regarding our Father’s small still voice.
“And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke 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 the sound of a low whisper.”
1 Kings 19:11-12 ESV
When Elijah’s conversation with God was done he had been told to go back to where he had come from, and was given many great things to do.
“Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram. Then anoint Jehu grandson of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet.”
1 Kings 19:15-16 NLT
None of this would have been possible if Elijah had not rested, and regained his strength. It is the same with us, we need rest, food, drink, and to hear God’s voice in the quiet after the wind blows, the ground quakes, and the fire in our lives has subsided. A tree e we paying attention when we have reached our limit? Do we pay attention to the angels and messengers? Do we lay down and sleep when the Holy Spirit says “Rest”, or do we press on and risk the consequences of pursuing our own will… no matter how righteous we might think we are being in doing so?
“We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.”
Proverbs 16:1, 3 NLT
Prayer:
Father, thank you for calling us to serve you, and to do great things of faith, but thank you also for the strength, gifts, and yes, rest, that you give us so that we can accomplish these things. Never let us overlook the rest you have instructed us to take on the Sabbath, or in Jesus Christ who gives us rest for our souls. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who knows not only our hearts but the limitations of our bodies and minds. Praised be your name for everything you lead us to accomplish in faith, and for the rest and provision we receive from you along the way. Merciful are you who sends angels to not only strengthen us, but to feed us, give us drink, and instruct us to rest. Your grace is sufficient for us as we seek redemption, but your peace and rest that we find in Jesus are our comfort as it pours out over us. Transform us through our belief, and sustain us in our faith as we find rest in you for our bodies when we are weary, and dreams of you for our hearts and minds as we sleep. We lean on you Father, and listen intently to you as we rise from our replenishment, and prepare to continue our journey… the fulfillment of your will for us.
“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 11:28-29 NLT
““Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”
Exodus 20:8-11 NLT
Rich Forbes